King of Games
by shadowkubrick
Summary: What would you do if everything you ever knew and loved was gone in the blink of an eye? Would you search for a way home? Would you abandon your old home for this new one? Could you abandon those you befriend on this journey? Not even the man seeking these answers knows.
1. One Life Ends, Another Begins

"Uuugh." A groan escaped the lips of a currently sleeping boy on the ground. He was young, perhaps a 5 or 6 year-old at first glance. The boy was dressed in a light grey hoodie with a blue shirt collar peeking out around his neck, beige pants and black shoes. His messy black hair also sported blonde bangs which were slightly brown due to the young man's current "bed". As the boy tried to sleep, nature had other plans.

"Tsk," the boy clicked his tongue at the sound of familiar bird calls. "Damn flying rats, GO BACK TO SLEEP!" He threw his right arm out as he slept on his side. "If that wasn't bad enough, my bed seems to be like a thousand times more firm than it was before." As he shifted over, he heard the distinct sound of earth being shuffled.

"…" He remained eerily quiet for a moment before placing his hand palm-down to the ground. Feeling the familiar texture of good ol' Terra Firma shift around his hand. "Well that explains the sudden mattress density boost." The boy dryly remarked with his eyes still closed as if he was still trying to write off his current dilemma as a mere dream. Unfortunately for him, logic soon won over and he sat up with his distinctly green eyes opening to the forest around him.

"Well," he started as he stood up, "at least it's not the Sahara." The boy gazed around for a moment and observed his surroundings. While true he was in a forest, it was certainly not a rain forest. Despite this revelation however, he still sighed. "Good job Matt, you managed to rule out about five percent of earth's landmass you could be on." Matt dryly chastised himself before sighing.

Deciding it to be best, he found a nearby stump and decided to sit down in order to think things through.

"Alright, let's go over latest memories. Last night I got home from work, ate dinner and then crashed." He started sorting through his memories in a vain attempt to figure out what was happening. "Nothing explains how the hell I woke up in the middle of Buttfuck Nowhere with nothing on me-" Before he could finish his sentence, Matt's mind shot ahead of his mouth as he realized he actually hadn't done inventory. So he began to search his pockets.

"Weird, never seen these clothes before. In fact I don't think I've ever worn a grey hoodie or beige pants before." With an eyebrow raised he searched himself and only found one thing: a weird light-brown box attached to his black belt. The box was open on the end facing the buckle and had a slight cut-out on top as if there for someone to remove something from it. "Okay, I've sure as hell never seen that before." As curious as he was, it didn't look like anything was in the box, so Matt decided to ignore it for now. "Well, first things first, gotta find water."

Matt stood up and began to walk in a random direction hoping he'd find some sign of the liquid nourishment of life. He kept walking and walking past same-looking tree after same-looking tree.

"Christ, I'm not the most physically active person, but I can normally go a decent bit further before my feet start hurting like this." Matt muttered with discomfort in his tone. However this was soon dropped upon seeing something on the ground. "That's… a big ass… I don't even know any animals this big actually." Looking down in disbelief, Matt saw massive tracks of some animal embedded into the soil.

He began to sweat a bit nervously as he started to walk the opposite way the tracks were going. However, little did Matt know, he was already being watched.

"Man you'd think I'd at least see a trail by now." The boy exasperated which scratching the back of his head and looking around. He'd been walking for a good 20 minutes by now. "And then there's that damn tightness in my gut. Certainly ain't anything I ate… unless a bug crawled into my stomach or something." Silently stopping dead in his tracks, Matt violently shuddered for a moment before continuing on, dropping that train of thought entirely.

After another 15 minutes of walking, Matt finally reached an actual trail used by people. He exhaled in relief, but before it could set in, he immediately felt his senses telling him to duck. By doing so, he narrowly dodged the tackle of a massive beast.

"The hell!?" He yelled in shock as he looked at his attacker. The beast was like a massive multi-colored Gorilla with a weird hairstyle. It looked at him with a smile that sent chills down his spine. Without uttering single word, Matt knew this monster only saw dinner in front of him. So, like any rational person, he ran.

Choosing a direction of the road, Matt ran and zigzagged in and out of the treeline to make sure the beast never had a clean shot on him. He ran for what seemed like ages, and with his feet already sore from walking, it came as no surprise when he eventually collapsed on the road due to exhaustion. Matt, in desperation, began to claw and crawl his way away from the beast. His nails broke and stained his fingers with blood as he tried to escape with his life.

"Oooh, it fun when little people prey try to run." The beast proclaimed with evident glee. Its loud footsteps signaling his approach to the slowly moving body of the boy. He grabbed Matt by the leg and lifted him up. This allowed him to see the beast smile like a kid in a candy store as he eyed his small frame.

Matt was shaking in fear, 'Am I gonna die?' He thought to himself. 'I wake up in the middle of nowhere, no idea what continent I'm even on and five minutes later this fucking psycho beast is gonna kill me?' As these thoughts churned in his head, Matt's shaking due to fear changed. 'This.… this BASTARD! What the hell right does he have to do this?! I don't wanna die damnit! I wanna live!'

'Is that what you wish for?' A voice called out to Matt in his head. 'Do you wish to live and see another day?' The voice asked the boy as the beast began to open its mouth to begin devouring the boy.

Disregarding the origin if the voice due to the situation, Matt responded in the only way he knew how, by kicking the Ape in the jaw and causing him to bite down on his tongue with crushing force. This however caused Matt to fall from his grasp and due to the height and angle, the fall would snap his neck.

"Heh, very well, I shall take that as a yes." The voice now sounded much closer, like it was actually there. A bright glow shined from the empty box on Matt's belt. As if on instinct, Matt reached for it and drew from it a small stone-like card. It shined as bright as the sun and blinded both Matt and the beast, however the next thing Matt knew the sensation of falling was replaced by warmth.

Matt was now draped over the shoulder of a man dressed in dark blue robes with purple armor around his body and a pointed purple hat on. In his other hand was a pale green scepter that radiated power from its form.

"Now then Master, allow me to deal with this disgusting monster." The man spoke with a very plain tone, as if knowing this beast posed little-to-no threat to him.

Said beast, now with blood running out of its mouth from its nearly severed tongue, glared at the duo with unbridled rage. He pounded his chest with an incredibly loud roar and charged. However, the robed man simply twirled his staff and pointed it at the beast, then a large and powerful blast of energy shot out at the beast. Due to arrogance or blind rage, the beast persisted in its charge. When it collided with the attack, the roaring ape was vaporized in a large explosion.

He lowered his arm and set Matt back down. Finally getting back on solid ground, Matt dusted himself off and looked up at his savior, only to gasp. He recognized the face of the man. That short purple hair, fair skin and turquoise eyes were all too familiar to him.

"Y-you're the Dark Magician!" Matt yelled out in a combination of excitement, confusion and astonishment.

"Oh, so you already know of me?" Dark Magician asked with slight relief on his face, knowing he would save time answering some questions.

"How could I not?!" He exclaimed before abruptly realizing something. "Wait. You're supposed to be a trading card though… unless the show was right and you all have souls." Matt paled at the thought, not even knowing how many of the cards he'd lost or thrown away would be pissed at him.

"Well, yes and no. However I think an explanation can wait for a moment. You should probably get to a town soon before you run out of Magic Power and pass out." Dark Magician told the young boy with a tone of genuine concern.

"Magicwhatnow?"

The Magician sighed, "That can wait, for now-", he suddenly turned his head the other way and glared for a moment before relaxing. "It seems you're in luck Master, some good souls are a..pro...ch...in..g." Dark Magician suddenly faded into a golden dust as Matt spontaneously lost consciousness due to his adrenaline rush wearing off. Causing the exhaustion and physical pain to hit him all at once.

Not even a moment later, a small man huffing and puffing in a sprint approached the boy. He looked over the boy and sighed in relief.

"Looks like he isn't terribly injured." The old man looked over his body and couldn't find major injuries outside his broken nails and roughed up patches of skin.

"Oi Master! Wait up would ya!" Another man yelled as he caught up to the old man. He looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties and had slicked back orange hair with fair skin a stubby beard and black eyes.

"Gildarts, grab the boy, we're taking him to Porlyusica."

"Huh? What for-" Gildarts answered his own question when he looked at the boy and silently lifted him over his shoulder after nodding.

The duo then ran off into the forest of East Magnolia.

* * *

"Uuugh." Matt groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Fortunately for him, this time he awoke in the comfort of a bed and not the ground. "Huh. Guess that was a dream. Hell of a wild one that's for sure."

"Oh I assure you young man, that was anything but a dream." An older feminine voice called out to him.

He looked over and saw an older woman with pink hair and fair skin gazing at him with an expression that bordered on simultaneous relief and annoyance.

"I suppose you'll ask the regular questions in this scenario so I'll answer them now. I'm Porlyusica, a doctor, and you're in my home in East Magnolia's woods currently. You were brought here by that dolt Makarov and his boy-toy of a Wizard Gildarts after you had a scuffle with what we assume to be a Vulcan." As she spoke, she took a seat next to Matt who nodded in acknowledgment to her words.

"How long have I been out?"

"About three days. A bit shorter than I would expect of a young man such as yourself experiencing an extreme lack of Magic Power." She said as she gestured for him to sit up. "Now is there any residual pain anywhere?"

"I'm a little sore, but that's it." Matt said as he wiggled and moved various parts of his body.

"Good, then you can scram when Makarov comes by later today." Porlyusica got up and walked out of the room.

'I mean she's really nice for taking care of me and all, but christ does she act like she doesn't enjoy what seems to be her job.' Matt thought to himself as he gazed in the direction she left in before sighing.

He laid back down and rested his hand behind his head. 'Magic Power. Vulcan. Makarov. Gildarts. Porlyusica. Outside of Makarov being a Russian name, and Magic Power being a combo of English words, everything else is unlike anything I've heard of in any language before. Especially ones that seem to use a Latin origin. Just where the hell am I?'

While lost in thought, Matt didn't notice the small man enter the home and take a seat next to him. It was only after he cleared his throat in an attempt to get his attention did he notice.

"Well, it's good to see you're doing well young man." He spoke with evident relief.

"Oh, uh, thank you Mr...?"

"Makarov. Makarov Dreyar. I'm the Master of Fairy Tail, a guild in the nearby town." The old man said that last part with evident pride.

"I see. I'm Matthew, but everyone just calls me Matt."

Makarov nodded, "Well then Matt, why were you in the middle of the East Forest? Especially in an area densely populated by some of the more... unsightly Vulcans."

Matt thought for a moment before answering. "I... don't know. I sorta just woke up there. Don't know how I got there to begin with." Makarov listened closely at Matt's words.

"I see. Do you know where your home is?"

That question caused Matt to hesitate a moment. 'The fact that he mentioned Magic and Guilds with pride on top of that Vulcan tells me this isn't my world. Do I tell him that or should I not?' Matt's prolonged silence caused Makarov to raise an eyebrow. But he remained silent as he could tell the boy was having an internal debate.

"Can you... keep a secret?" Matt spoke in a barely audible tone. Makarov simply nodded in response. He swallowed his spit before speaking. "I'm not from around here."

"I see. Then what country do you hail from?"

"No." He shook his head, "I mean I'm not from this world."

Now that caused Makarov to widen his eyes in surprise a bit.

"How do you know?" Makarov used a lighter tone in order to carefully tread.

"I've never heard of or seen Vulcan's before, and the fact you unironically talked about a Magic Guild tells me you're either delusional, or telling the truth." The old man's eyebrow twitched a bit upon the "delusional" part, but he could tell the boy was being honest.

"Yes, roughly a tenth of Earthland's population can use Magic." Makarov's words caused Matt to sigh.

"So it's true then, I'm nowhere close to home. If I'll ever even see it again." His tone was blatantly defeated and caused Makarov's heart to ache. While the old man never knew what it was like to not have some kind of family thanks to Master Precht and the Guild, he'd met individuals that did, and after hearing their stories he was even more thankful to Fairy Tail for being there for him.

So Makarov did the one thing he knew would help the boy.

"My boy, it's clear you have no place to return to, so how about I give you one?" Matt turned his gaze to meet Makarov's. "Would you like to join Fairy Tail?"

Matt's gaze widened if just for a split second, but dropped. "I can't use magic though."

Makarov tilted his head. "Then how do you explain the pile of ashes that was the Vulcan trying to kill you?"

Those words caused Matt to blatantly remember that detail he'd forgotten. His gaze wandered frantically until he saw that familiar box on the table next to him.

He reached over with his bandaged hands and grabbed it. It used to be empty, but now a slim grey object was inserted into it. He pulled it out like drawing a card and was met with the familiar image of the Dark Magician. Beneath the image were seven stars and that was it. No text, no Attack or Defense values, just the stars. Almost like how the American version of the show changed the front of the cards.

"So that's how you did it eh? Seems like a kind of Holder Magic then." The Master of Fairy Tail said as he looked at the stone card.

"Holder Magic?"

"Magic in this world can be divided into two main categories: Caster Magic and Holder Magic. The former would be using Magic Power to create magic and manipulate the result. Holder Magic utilizes tools filled by the user's Magic Power to function, or it has it's own supply of Ethernano to work. It seems as though you simply channel Magic Power into this card and you're in business. Almost looks like you use Celestial Spirit Magic."

"What's that?"

"A Holder Magic that involves someone channeling their Magic Power into a key. This key then summons the spirit bound to it. However this is obviously not a key, so it's something similar, but not directly it."

"I see." Matt said as his gaze lingered on the card that saved his life. "Honestly, I don't know how I did it. All I know is that I wanted to live, and this guy responded to that desire and saved me."

Makarov nodded, "Magic is heavily influenced by the emotions of the user. So it's no surprise that happened. Though your word choice there tells me you've never used Magic before have you?"

Matt shook his head, "No, we didn't have Magic where I'm from. Well, not this kind of Magic anyways. Magic where I'm from was more cult-like and involved weird stuff like goat blood and sacrificing virgins. It was pretty laughed at by the general population." He chuckled a bit, thinking back to his old mockery of it. "Humanity got by where I'm from by technological improvements and ingenuity. So I honestly have no idea what I'm even doing in regards to Magic here."

"I see, well that's no problem then. I'm sure some of the guild members would be more than happy to teach you, myself included."

Now that caused Matt to look over in surprise. "You'd actually go that far for me? For someone you just met?"

Makarov sighed and got off the chair, he walked over to a window and looked out. "My boy, over the many years I've been in this world, I've seen my fair share of heartbreaking tales and tragic individuals who all met a premature end. They all started out not too dissimilar to you: confused, alone, desperate for answers and without guidance. In their haste to get what they needed, they all inadvertently hurt themselves and those who wished to help them. So many lost lives that could've easily been prevented from happening. So what kind of adult or human would I be if I allowed another young man fall into that trap, knowing I could have helped him? I'd be no better than the people responsible for the grief of those poor souls in the first place."

Matt listened to Makarov's words closely, but still felt doubt. "But, what if they all reject me or don't care about me. I'm a… kid after all." He said that last part with a hint of venom towards whoever thought de-aging him a good 15 years was a great idea.

"Fairy Tail is many things: loud, destructive, ignorant towards property damage costs, apathetic to the old man that gets complaints from the council." Makarov realized he was going into a rant and stopped himself. "However, it's also a home for those without one. A family for those who need one. And a group of friends for those who wish to forego the struggles of life temporarily. You may be young, but you'd be no less a member of the family than anyone else, I guarantee you that."

Those words truly struck a chord with Matt. Honestly he was scared, he did feel alone and lost. He had no idea what his plan was once he found civilization again. Truthfully he truly hoped he was dreaming back then. But now, the dreamer has awoken, and this is reality. This offer of guidance, no, this offer of hope, was honestly what he needed.

"Alright then, if you'll have me, I accept."

Makarov smiled, "Well then my boy, allow me to be the first to welcome you to Fairy Tail."

For the first time since arriving, Matt genuinely smiled. "Thank you, Master."

* * *

"So this is the guild?" The boy asked as he stood beside the old man.

"Indeed. This building has been around even longer than me." Makarov reminisced over the many years he'd spent in this simple wooden structure.

The Master began to walk ahead, prompting Matt to follow him in. Though he flinched a bit as the old man slammed the door open.

"I'm back you brats!" He roared to the guild that looked about thirty members strong.

A chorus of greetings came from everyone as some raised their filled mugs of alcohol towards the small man.

Matt followed the man as they walked straight through the crowd in the middle of the guild. The inside of the building was pretty simple. A large central area of tables and chairs with two wings that housed two doors each and more tables and chairs. On the opposite end of the entrance was a bar with stairs leading up on each side of it. By the stairs to the left was another door. Matt could see a few doors upstairs, but it was hard to tell anything else besides a few tables and chairs being up there from his position.

Makarov and Matt arrived at the unmanned bar as the small man hopped on top of it.

"Now where is that blasted thing." He shuffled his arm around the underside of the counter and eventually found what he was looking for.

"A stamper?" The boy raised a brow at the object.

"Indeed, this is a brand new one the Council just sent us. So you'll be the first to get your Guild Stamp with it."

"Is that a way to tell which Mage is in what guild?"

"Correct." He nodded. "Now tell me where you want it and what color it should be."

Matt thought for a second where he'd want something that would be used to easily identify himself. He decided on his right forearm with a purple color. Gazing at the mark, Matt felt like he finally had a semblance of belonging in this strange world.

"Ah, Master." A man approached the duo. Matt couldn't tell what he was really wearing beneath that purple cloak, but his face gave him bad vibes.

"Rare to see you here Brat." Makarov seemed genuinely surprised over the man's presence.

"That doesn't matter, I need to talk to you about something." He looked the small man dead in the eye.

Makarov nodded with a sigh as he and the man went upstairs and entered a door. Matt could only assume was Master's office.

It was only after the door closed that the boy realized something. He was currently stranded. In a building filled with strangers.

A massive fight broke out amongst the guild and a chair flew over Matt's head.

'Very violent strangers.'

Nervous sweat began to trickle from the boys pores. Thankfully a lifeline was thrown to him.

"Oh wow! You're the first person here that's almost my age!"

Matt turned to see a blonde boy roughly his height smiling at him. The boy suddenly realized something and extended his hand.

"I'm Laxus Dreyar!" He smiled widely at the other boy, "What's your name?"

"Matthew, but everyone calls me Matt." He shook Laxus' hand. "So are you in the guild too?"

Laxus' expression turned slightly downcast. "No, not yet." However it pulled an immediate 180. "But my dad says he can help me get strong enough to join soon!"

"Your dad?"

"Yup! Ivan Dreyar!" He nodded with excitement.

"Oh... who's that? I'm new here."

"He's the guy that you just saw."

Matt remembered the man's sketchy look, but kept that opinion to himself. It would be rude to insult a kids thug-like father in front of him… at least Matt assumed that was the general social rule in this world. Oh boy he was gonna have to learn a lot more than he initially thought. Laxus pulled him out of this thought by continuing their talk.

"He went out on a job and came back today, telling me that he found something that can help me get stronger! He's probably talking with Grandpa about it right now." The boy seemed genuinely excited over the prospect of joining the guild. But something in particular caught Matt's ear.

Matt blinked a few times after hearing that.

"Did you say "Grandpa" just now?"

The blonde nodded.

"So you're the Master's grandson."

Another nod.

"Alright then." Matt slowly nodded as that information clicked in his brain. Guess thug-like genes ran in the family. Though this made the dimensional traveler very curious as to what Master looked like in his youth.

Not long after this, the duo would reemerge from upstairs. Laxus ran over to his father with a large smile. Upon getting a nod from Ivan, he jumped in joy.

The sight made Matt's heart ache a bit. How was his family doing? His father was a pretty busy man, but clearly loved his family. The boy's mother was stay-at-home after an accident took a leg from her. Though she became an author and was fairly successful. Matt truly missed his little siblings though. His sister was a brat, but he still loved her despite hormones. While his little brother was the exact opposite, he was practically a saint. They were sometimes dysfunctional, but they loved each other, and that was all that mattered. That was what Matt missed above all else…

Matt had steeled himself to get home, but he just didn't know where to even start.

While he was lost in these thoughts, Makarov approached him.

"Matt, do you happen to have a place to go?"

"No." He blunty replied.

"Ah, yes I suppose that was a pretty pointless question." The old man laughed awkwardly. "Regardless, I think I can help you out on that front."

The boy raised a brow to signify that he was listening.

"If you don't mind a bit of manual labor, you can stay here in the spare room we keep."

That certainly caught the boy off-guard. Though this was short lived as Ivan came over.

"You can't be serious Master." He scowled at the old man.

"Of course I am Son. Matt is a member of the Fairy Tail family now. It's my duty as Master to assist him however I can in these kinds of matters."

This only caused the taller man's scowl to deepen. "Not only do you allow a child to join the guild, but now this too? He's not even strong enough like you insist on Laxus being!"

Makarov stroked his mustache for a moment before responding.

"Laxus is my grandson, of course I wish for him to be strong enough to handle jobs."

"And this brat is?"

Matt took slight offense to being referred as a "brat", but he'll let it slide.

"This "Brat", single-handedly killed an Apex Forest Vulcan. I'd say he's more than capable."

Ivan seemed genuinely stunned for a moment. He looked back-and-forth between his father and Matt.

The boy simply shrugged and dusted his shoulder off to screw with the man.

'This damn brat!' Ivan swore, but stopped as he made eye contact with the boy. 'Those eyes.' It was brief, but he made solid contact and immediately knew something was off. 'Those eyes speak of more age and experience than the brat lets on… but if he can find that thing by staying here.' A plan began to form in his mind.

"Very well." He scoffed and turned to Laxus. The duo leaving quickly afterwards. Laxus waved goodbye to Matt who returned the gesture.

"Your son is… somethin'."

Makarov sighed and hopped up to the bar. He hopped over again and grabbed a bottle of alcohol before hopping back and sitting on the counter.

"Tell me about it." A large swig followed those words. "Your room is the second on the left side. It's right next to the infirmary."

Matt nodded as he saw the door in question.

"By the way Matt."

He turned to look at the old man.

The Master sat silently as he debated his next words before shaking his head.

"Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Matt tilted his head in confusion, but shrugged as he figured it wasn't important.

'No need to freak the boy out by telling him to watch out for Ivan. Guess that part is up to me...' Master Makarov scowled at the ground as another swig followed. He was really getting too old for this crap, 73 is a tender age after all. At least that's what everyone told him as white hairs on his head overtook the former blonde locks.

"Uh, Master? Is everything okay?" Matt asked with a concerned tone.

"Huh? Oh, everything is fine." As he went to take another swig, a chair smashed into his face and broke the bottle. He fell back to the ground behind the counter.

"M-master!" Matt scrambled up the counter and saw the man on his back with broken glass, wood and the orange-colored liquid of alcohol all over him.

"Matt." The old man spoke in an ominous tone.

"Y-yes Master?"

"Please move over to the right."

He wordlessly and quickly complied as the old man turned into a giant. Matt looked on with shock.

"You damn brats broke my favorite alcohol bottle!" He roared and stomped on the rowdy members of the guild. Immediately quelling the fight without objection from anyone.

'Note to self: don't piss him off.' Matt nervously gulped at the sight.

Fairy Tail was certainly gonna be an experience. What the question was, is if it'd be a good one or a bad one.

To Matt's unfortunate plight, he had no idea. And that was scarier than any idea of not even knowing what damn world he was in.

**Hello ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to this story that came from the recesses of my mind. Now I've had this story brewing for a while now and have written a fair bit ahead just to be sure I know where I wanna go with this.** **So rest assured, I have plenty of material in case something happens.**

**As for the primary magic Matt uses, I'm confident most of you already know where its from. Just to answer it, yes he will use the Extra Summoning styles. I just have absolutely no idea how to incorporate Pendulum and Link summoning into the Magic. So any suggestions would be appreciated for whenever I get to those way down the line.**

**In regards towards specifics of the magic, you will hear some of these details in the story down the road, but I'll say one detail right now. This Magic will not scale with Matt's growth as a Wizard in the same way CSM does with Lucy. All Duel Monsters have a set power level based on the number of stars they have. This also means that some monsters will get a star reduction, primarily the 10 and up star ones. So it will gain stronger options down the road, but you won't see Celtic Guardian swapping hands with Natsu by the time ****of the manga starting.**

**In terms of changes to canon, just wait and see. Don't wanna ruin any surprises now do I?**

**That's honestly all I got to say for now, so I will see you all next time! **


	2. The Birth of a Raven

**Before we get the show underway, I wanna give a massive thank you to everyone that commented, followed and favorited. That support means a lot for me**** and keeps me motivated to keep this story going.**

**With that done, let's get this chapter started!**

"Damnit Matt, how the hell do you do it?!" Macao yelled as Matt once again took the entire Pot easily.

"Hey, what can I say? I'm just good." Matt smirked slyly.

"No, Macao is just that bad at Poker." Wakaba barely held in a laugh as his friend once again lost to someone not even a third his age.

The trio sat at a table in the guild during the middle of the day. Fairy Tail, as usual, was lively and loud. Their group was small, around 33 members, but they were all family according to Makarov.

Said old man sat on the bar counter and smiled at the sight as he took a swig from his mug. Gildarts sat next to him and laughed as he saw Matt win yet another hand of Poker.

"Kid's fitting in real well. Already showing the newbies his seniority." Gildarts chucked at the sight. Macao and Wakaba had only joined a week ago now. "Surprised he adapted so fast since he's only been here for a month." Gildarts exclaimed as he grabbed his own mug to take a drink.

"Despite his grievances before joining, he ate up the opportunity to be with others who wouldn't judge him for his age." Makarov said with almost an "I told you so" look on his face.

"Still, you sure it's a good idea for him to live in the hall? Ivan wasn't too happy about that tidbit."

"Bah, my son can be a stick in the mud. The boy didn't even remotely come off as a thief." Makarov scoffed as he took another swig.

Another loud groan of defeat came from Macao as once again he lost the pot to the young Wizard. Matt grinned something fierce as he used both hands to grab the considerably sized pot consisting of candy, money, a knife and some kind of magazines he had no idea about. Gildarts would have to confiscate those later for… magical research. The man was still getting over his divorce from a couple years back after all. No judgment was allowed on his poor soul.

"Still, Ivan's been a little odd since he joined. Almost paranoid I'd say." Gildarts took a drink before continuing. "It's like he's afraid the kid is gonna find or do something being here."

Makarov remained silent at the S-Class' observation. 'Ivan couldn't be worried he'll find Lumen Histoire could he? How would Ivan even know of it?' The old man thought about it for a moment. While the possibility remained there that Matt could find it, he doubted it'd be an easy task even for him. Matt was far from unintelligent, in fact he might be one of, if not the sharpest person in the guild.

However that secret of the guild was something not even Makarov could find before Master Precht showed him personally. Granted his method back then was break and overturn every suspicious-looking object in the building. Those charges to his bank account significantly contributed to his terror of his mages destroying public property.

That thought made Makarov's heart drop slightly, he missed his old Master. Hopefully he was still around, but that was over 30 years ago and the man was already his age last time they'd met, so he had severe doubts.

"Regardless, as long as Ivan doesn't do anything rash, we have nothing to fear." The master spoke with an ever-so-slight authority that told Gildarts to drop the subject.

"I guess you're right. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go invoke my authority for research." Gildarts got up to approach the trio of newcomers as Macao held his head in defeat. A massive stockpile of miscellaneous items rested on Matt's side of the table from the sheer number of Poker rounds he'd lost horribly.

Makarov let out a soft chuckle at the sight, glad the child was fitting in well. As quickly as the joy came however, the worry returned. Matt wouldn't find Lumen Histoire… right?

* * *

"Man I'm beat. Robbing Macao like that was way more fun than it should've been." The boy spoke as he dropped on to his bed in the guild hall. "Still to think I'd end up in Fairy Tail, never even watched the show. Although I'm certainly familiar with the cast of the show from images, never bothered to actually watch it." Matt sighed before shrugging.

"Could be worse though I guess, could've ended up in Attack on Titan." That caused the boy to shiver in fear.

He examined a pocket knife he'd won from the man. It was a fold-out blade with a black handle and a roughly three inch blade. Nothing special, but it got the job done according to Macao. He placed it in his front hoodie pocket.

Matt sat up and looked to his nightstand. Atop it was that box normally attached to his belt. In it rested the Dark Magician, plus a few new additions to his roster of Duel Monsters.

The boy was still surprised that his primary magic involved an old hobby of his youth that he forced his mother to spend ludicrous amounts of cash on.

That thought caused his heart to sting a bit, his mother was someone he desperately missed. Matt was still determined to get back home, but he knew that he needed more strength since it wouldn't be easy to get back home. As his heart dropped, the box shined and next to Matt appeared a small brown hairball known as Kuriboh.

"Kuri." It spoke in a somber tone as if empathizing with its master.

Matt smiled at him, "Hey little guy, come to cheer me up eh?" Wordlessly the small hairball plopped itself onto his lap in an attempt to hug him. Matt returned the favor and embraced the small creature who was ridiculously soft. Truthfully Matt was glad to have these guys as his companions for this journey.

It wasn't that he hated Fairy Tail, far from it. Makarov was a wonderful old man with a big heart, Gildarts was… Gildarts, Macao and Wakaba were fun to mess with, but good people nonetheless.

What dumbfounded Matt more than anything were the circumstances surrounding his arrival. No matter how hard he tried, there were blatant pieces of his memory gone or pieces that didn't fit. Though maybe that wasn't as important as simply getting home.

Matt at least got an iota of some answers from his first talk with Dark Magician when he first arrived in the guild.

One Month Ago

"Okay, so what's up with me having Duel Monster summons as my magic?" The boy sat on his bed as across from him stood Dark Magician.

"Simply put, we responded to your feelings. I'm sure Makarov already mentioned Celestial Spirits to you yes?" Matt nodded prompting him to continue. "We are in the same vein as them. Both of us live in a different dimension from yours and obey the will of our users. However the core difference is that we Duel Monsters choose our users. Celestial Spirits unfortunately lack that luxury."

Matt nodded, "So essentially the more I impress you guys, the more of you will help me?"

The spirit shrugged, "Something like that, some of us may join you to simply see the outside world. None of us have ever had that privilege in this universe."

"That reminds me, in the show you guys were brought out all the time in the paper cards and by yourselves as spirits, why can't you do that here?"

"Simple: because of the abundance of magic in this world, we have a harder time maintaining our form here and can't properly manifest. So if we take on a form that allows us to comply with this world's laws, then we can appear. Hence the stone cards you fill with your Magic Power. You also passively fuel us with Magic Power as well, so we can come out whenever we wish to if enough is there."

"Okay, but I still don't understand why I'm the first person to do this." He was still genuinely perplexed by that detail. No one had ever seen or heard of this magic before.

Dark Magician sighed, "Honestly none of us know either. It could relate to how you were brought here, but I honestly couldn't tell you. I apologize for that lack of information."

"No it's fine." Matt reassured the Spirit. "Honestly knowing you guys will have my back is a big relief. I'm counting on all of you to help me with my journey to get back home."

His words caused the Magician to smile, "Of course Master, it would be my honor."

Honestly Matt was still baffled as to why Duel Monsters of all things were picked, but he wasn't gonna complain.

"Thanks little guy." Matt let out a yawn. "Think it's time I got some sleep anyways." As Matt went to turn off his lamp, it suddenly died. "Huh, guess it's out of juice."

Scratching the back of his head Matt sighed. "I could deal with this later, but I'd rather just do it now. Though it's ridiculously dark in the guild right now, doubt I could barely see a foot in front of me." After he was done speaking, a familiar voice spoke up.

"Kuri kuri!" Matt looked over to the fuzz ball in his lap.

"Can you help?" He asked with a tilt of the head.

Without speaking, Kuriboh turned into his spirit form which conveniently also functioned as a light.

"Huh, you're adorable and a night light too. You come with a cup holder?" Matt asked slightly astonished as he stood up and made his way to the main hall.

Makarov was kind enough to let him stay in the Guild due to the lack of a home. The rules were also pretty lenient. Don't go to the second floor, that's for S-Class only. Don't drink or eat anything that you can't pay off. That rule was primarily for the ridiculously expensive alcohol Master kept in the back. Lastly, lock up every night and if someone breaks in, call Master on the Emergency Transmission Lacrima.

Matt made his way to the basement where spare things like Light Lacrima are kept. The door to the basement was located to the left of the bar by the stairs leading to the second floor. Matt descended the wooden stairs that lightly creaked with each step he made.

"Now if I were spare Lighting Lacrima, where would I be?" Matt looked around the surprisingly spacious basement to the guild. He checked the door farthest from the stairs first. Opening it revealed it to be a spare cleaning supply closest. "Nope."

The next door was filled with countless giant wooden barrels of alcohol if Matt's sense of smell was anything to go by. "There's no way they drink this much!" He voiced in astonishment before closing that door too.

He skipped the next door since that was the Archives.

Finally Matt came upon the last door, opening it revealed the room to be filled with boxes. Shrugging his shoulders, Matt searched around to see if any were labeled.

Sitting down, he opened a random box by the wall.

He pulled out a Gildarts action figure. Curiously there was a string on the back. Pulling it caused all the figures clothes to pop off.

"Nope!" He quickly threw it over his shoulder. It broke apart immediately against the stone floor.

"GAH!" The orange haired man collapsed onto his knees after rolling off his bed.

"Why does it feel like I was just betrayed?!"

Next up was a pair of underwear with the name "Warrod" sewn into the hem.

"Who the hell loses their underwear here?!"

Somewhere, a tree man sneezed into his hand, coating the appendage in a yellow color.

"AH! I sneezed pee!" He looked closer at his hand. "Oh, nevermind it's just snot… that'd be a good joke though."

Matt shook his head and chucked them into the box and set it aside. He took a better look around the room with the light Kuriboh supplied.

"A-ha!" Matt cheered in victory as he found a box filled with Lacrima. He decided to try them one-by-one until he found the proper one. Kuriboh got closer and he used the wall as a support while he stood over the box. A strange Lacrima was pulled from tbtbe box. It was a light blue color in a near spherical shape. Small, flat area's betrayed the disguise this thing went for.

As he rested his hand on the wall by the box, the emblem on his right forearm and the odd Lacrima in his hand glowed. "Huh?" Then Matt heard a faintly audible sound, like stone moving as he felt a draft of wind to his left. Kuriboh's light revealed the stone wall had opened very slightly like a door.

He approached it slowly and gently pushed it open. Torches fortunately lit what seemed to be a spiral staircase that led down. Matt looked at the path with an odd feeling. It didn't feel threatening or ominous at all. In fact it felt oddly warm and comforting to him. That in mind, he started descending the stairs.

After about five minutes of descending stairs, a trip back up he wasn't gonna like, Matt came upon a set of massive double doors. Matt pushed one of them open and entered a colossal chamber. He looked around in awe of the huge room he was now in. Though that was shortly lived as he noticed the main attraction of the room. A girl encased in a massive crystal was at the end of the sole path of the room.

'Who is that?' He thought as he slowly approached. 'Man it's a good thing this body is too young to respond to stimulus, otherwise this would be awkward.' Matt internally thanked his youthful appearance. Something his pride immediately regretted.

'Still, she is really pretty. Just who is she?' The young man was within touching distance of the encased girl. However he decided to not indulge in his curiosity. It dawned on Matt that he shouldn't even be here in the first place.

That thought caused him to quickly leave the room, but not before looking back one last time at the girl. Matt closed the door and quickly ascended the stairs, a prospect he didn't welcome.

Once that was done, the entrance closed behind him and he sighed in relief, no one would know he was down there. He grabbed the Lacrima that he needed and placed the key one back into the box. With that done, the mage made his way back up the stairs.

As he was about to open the closed door to main main hall, a sudden chill went up his spine. 'Did someone break in?' Matt thought as he reached in his left pants pocket for the Communication Lacrima Makarov gave him in this scenario. He palmed it just in case, but didn't activate it yet. Could just be his head messing with him after all.

Cautiously he opened the door and peered around, the front door was closed and it didn't seem like any windows upstairs had been opened since the temperature felt the same. Matt sighed in relief and closed the door as he walked out.

"Did you find it?" A voice spoke out from behind him, causing him to jump. Matt's gaze fell upon one Ivan Dreyar and he sighed in relief.

"Oh it's just you Ivan. Jeez, you trying to give me a heart attack or somethin?" Matt's hand held his chest as his heart felt like it would leap out of it.

"Silence." Ivan's cold tone made the boy pause. "I'm asking you a simple question." He approached the boy. "Did. You. Find. It?"

Matt slowly backed away. "What do you mean by "it"? The bathroom?" He tried to relieve the tension with some humor. This however had the opposite effect.

Ivan grabbed Matt's collar and raised him up with one arm. "No you insufferable child! I'm talking about Lumen Histoire!!"

"Lumenwhatnow?" Matt tried to play stupid to distract Ivan from his hand slowly going to his pocket. Ivan however didn't bite. The older Dreyar grabbed his hand and shoved it aside, then reached into his pocket and pulled out the Lacrima in it.

"Oh no, the Geezer can't save you now." Ivan tossed the object behind him as he held Matt with his other arm. Matt pocketed his left hand in his jacket, Ivan also saw through this and grabbed his hand. "Oh ho, a knife eh? Now why would you pull that on a fellow guildmate?" Ivan smiled with a sinister look.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Matt said as he dropped the knife when Ivan squeezed his arm tightly. Ivan's Shikigami wrapped around the blade and shattered it.

"It seems you're quite stubborn. Good." The older man smiled as he threw Matt across the room and through a table, knocking the wind out of him. "I always did prefer my prey to be a little roughed up when I interrogated them." Ivan gloated as he approached the now violently coughing matt.

"Kuri!" Having enough, Kuriboh charged into Ivan from behind and barely did anything.

"Huh. A weak fool like you would summon pathetic monsters too!" Ivan moved his hand and Kuriboh was then wrapped by the small Shikigami forming a chain. Kuriboh was then slammed though a table then then thrown to the second floor.

"Kuriboh! You bastard!" Matt stood up and charged Ivan who simply smiled and willed the Shikigami to attack him.

Matt dodged and kicked a table over to take cover.

"Think you can hide from me brat?!" Ivan then had the Shikigami punch holes in the table. Noticing an object move from the side of the table, Ivan smirked. "You're mine!" He yelled as he willed the Shikigami to attack the object.

The attack kicked up a lot of dust which obscured Ivan's vision. "Hopefully he's still alive. It doesn't matter regardless, I'll find Lumen Histoire sooner or later." As the dust settled, Ivan's smile faded into shock as he'd simply attacked a discarded hoodie. "Wait, then where?!"

Before Ivan could see him, Matt, lacking his hoodie, leapt from the table behind Ivan and smashed a chair over his head as hard as he could. Ivan dropped like a sack of potatoes as the chair violently shattered over his head.

Matt breathed heavily as he now just held the top of the chair in his hands. Normally he'd be surpised by his sudden strength, but fight or flight kinda blurs those thoughts.

Ivan's head was busted open and blood shot out from the wounds. He knew it wouldn't kill Ivan, but as long as he could immobilize him, that's all that mattered. Sighing in relief, Matt rushed over to where Kuriboh had been thrown.

Thankfully the little guy was just roughed up. Matt returned him to card form and went downstairs to find something to tie up Ivan with. Unfortunately he felt a tight wrapping around his ankle. The next thing Matt knew, he was in the air and being slammed into another table.

"Did you think that's all it would take you little shit?! To hell with getting information out of you!" Ivan looked at the collapsed form of Matt with fury. His face a crimson mask of blood that stained his collar. He lifted his arm and flung Matt through another table. Then it was through the guard rail of the second floor. Next up was the shelves of alcohol by the bar. Through all of it, Ivan laughed like a madman and throughly enjoyed showing this brat his place in the world.

"I think I'll see if your bones can handle being thrown through the support beams next!" Ivan screamed in glee. Before he could however, an orb of light enveloped the bloody mass of flesh that was Matt. This orb then moved over to the entrance of the guild where one Makarov Dreyar stood.

"M-Master." Ivan uttered as Makarov's face was obscured by shadow. The small man observed the still barely breathing body of Matt and let out a small sigh of relief.

"Ivan." His tone sent chills down the man's spine. He _never_ referred to Ivan by his first name. It was always "Son" or "Brat", this was a first for Ivan.

"It's one thing to brutalize someone that isn't of the guild." Makarov moved in front of Matt. "It's another to do so to a fellow member of the Guild." His hand clenched so hard that blood was drawn.

"To not only do this to a fellow Guild member, but a child on top of it." Makarov's eyes suddenly became visible to Ivan, and fury would be an understatement to describe his expression. "Your actions are unforgivable!" A small sphere of light made itself present on Makarov's right index finger. His aura caused the building to physically shake.

"W-wait Master, it-it was his fault! I-" Ivan attempted to utter an excuse.

"**SILENCE**!!" Makarov yelled in primal fury. "No child of mine would dare ever hurt one of his brothers or sisters with the intention to kill!"

"Wait, Father! Can't we talk this out?!" Playing his last card, Ivan attempted to get Makarov to stand down.

Once again, shadows cast themselves over the old man's face as the light on his finger died.

"Ivan. Your actions have endangered the life of a fellow comrade. Consider this not only your removal from Fairy Tail." Makarov swelled in size until his head touched the ceiling. His shadow draping over the middle-aged Wizard with an expression of pure terror on his face.

"But also consider this your disownment too!" The now giant punched Ivan through the back of the guild and into the vast lake behind the Guild. He screamed the entire way until he hit water, his cries silenced by the cold blue lake.

Makarov reduced himself in size and sighed. He then quickly turned around and ran to inspect Matt's condition. It wasn't good to say the least. The boy was bleeding rather violently from a few spots and certain parts of his body were unnaturally bent. Without even thinking about it, Makarov swelled in size and sprinted across town while holding Matt in his arms to Porlyusica.

* * *

Slowly Matt's right eye opened as he blinked in pain due to it adjusting to the light. He tried to move his right arm to cover his eye, but found it unresponsive. Looking down revealed the limb was in a cast. In fact, he saw a lot of his body wrapped in bandages.

"Wh-what happened?" He weakly said as he voice was rough and coarse.

"You're lucky to be alive, that's what happened." Porlyusica uttered in her usual tone of annoyed indifference. "Seven broken bones, eighteen fractures, numerous lacerations, some of which nicked arteries, about 30 shards of glass impaled into your skin and we can't forget the broken orbital bone in your skull, hence the eyepatch."

The list of injuries surprised Matt, how did he get them?

"Judging by that look you don't quite remember what happened. Well that's fine, a concussion on the level of yours would cause some temporary memory problems. That should fade soon. Besides, the old fool should be able to tell you better than me." The nurse stated as she stood up and left the room.

Shortly afterwards, Makarov entered the room and sat on the chair next to Matt once again.

"Good to see you're awake." Makarov sounded genuinely relived that Matt had at least woken up.

"How long was I out?"

"It's been roughly two weeks now."

Matt's eye widened in surprise, "Two weeks?! What happened?"

The old man sighed. "Ivan did this to you."

That struck a familiar chord in Matt as the events started coming back to him.

"Wait. I kinda remember that now, yeah. He kept talking about something called uh..." He snapped his fingers rapidly and then pointed at the man once he remembered. "Lumen Histoire." Makarov clearly flinched at the mention of it.

"Lumen Histoire is the greatest secret of Fairy Tail. Ivan has been trying to get it for a couple years now. It seems as though he figured you'd know since you live in the hall." The Master tried to rationalize Ivan's thought process regarding that night. Still unaware as to how the man came to know of Lumen Histoire. 'The only other person who'd know was… no, that's impossible. Master Precht must be dead by now.' The old man's train of thought was broken by the boy.

"Why does he care so much about it?"

Makarov paused as he tried to find to be way to answer his question.

"Let's just say Lumen Histoire holds some rather… dark secrets that could irreparably damage the guild if it was used."

"So he hates the guild?"

"No, I wouldn't say that." The old man shook his head, "Ivan is obsessed with power. He believes it's all that matters in the world. So by getting Lumen Histoire, he probably planned to enact something using it."

"I see." Matt had a feeling Master was retaining some things from him, but that didn't really matter. "So what else happened?"

"Well, after you used the Lacrima to contact me and I rushed over, I personally removed Ivan from the guild. Afterwards I rushed you here."

"What about the guild hall? I'm pretty sure he wrecked it badly."

"Oh we rebuilt that. Everyone worked together for that process. Heh. You should've seen it, Gildarts had to have smashed his thumb about five times trying to use a hammer." Makarov barely held back his laughter. As Gildarts was the only S-class after Ivan's excommunication, it was up to him to fix the upper floor all by himself. The duo shared a good chuckle at the image of Gildarts hopping around, clutching his swollen red thumb.

"They ask about you every day y'know." Makarov smiled after saying that.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. Macao and Wakaba in particular wanted to make sure their favorite "Poker Pal" was doing alright. Heck, even Gildarts is wondering when you'll come back. I think he wants to use your "young charm" to help him with his miserable love life." Not even Makarov could fathom how that man came up with these ridiculous ideas.

Matt silently smiled, knowing that some people did actually care about his wellbeing. Even in a place very far away from his home.

"Like I told you when you first joined, Fairy Tail is a family. One person's pain is everyone else's. One person's happiness is everyone else's. One person's anger is also everyone else's. We all watch out for each other and make sure we're all the best people we can be. Don't forget that Matt, you are part of this family. Never fear relying on us for help."

Matt started at the small Master with a surprised look that slowly morphed into a genuine smile.

"Yeah. I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

After another 3 weeks of resting at Porlyusica's, Matt was finally recovered enough to go back to the guild. He opted to make the trip himself since he wanted some time to think alone. It was a nice walk. The beautiful forest was serene and lush with life, kinds of things that do the soul some good.

As he walked, Matt began to think about a lot of things. Everything with Ivan, that girl he assumed was Lumen Histoire, his plan to get back home and more urgently: his desire to get stronger. Before he can get home he needed to be stronger. Ivan almost killing him was a harsh reminder that he wasn't anywhere near strong enough to face the coming trials.

His stronger monsters drain him too quickly, his martial arts abilities are lacking and he can't even defend himself without having his cards on him at all times.

Matt clenched his hands. He had to do some proper training and stop slacking on getting leads to ways he can get home. With his resolve strengthened, Matt finally approached the guild and entered.

"""SURPRISE!!!"""

Matt stood in shock as the entire guild was currently before him. A large banner reading "Welcome back!" Was strung across the balcony.

"Wha?" As he was trying to process what was happening, Gildarts approached him with a smile.

"Don't "wha" me! This is your big welcome back party kid! Have some fun!" Gildarts then lifted Matt on his shoulders and everyone cheered as the party could finally begin.

The smell of booze and food filled the air as the guild partook in the festivities. Matt was currently seated at a table with Wakaba and Macao who were catching him up on their sad attempts at a love life. As they laughed and drank rather heavily, Matt looked around at everyone.

'These people are this happy I'm back from an injury?' Matt sighed and let out a small smile. 'Guess this is how family does things ain't it? Kinda forgot since it's been a bit.'

The rest of the night was spent in celebration until everyone either left on their own willpower, or were helped home. Matt and Makarov were the only two left in the building after all was said and done.

"You don't have to help clean up you know. It was your party after all." The older man said to Matt.

"True, but I do kinda live here. Besides, it's also my job to keep it clean too." The boy retorted immediately.

Makarov shrugged as they spent the next hour cleaning up after the guild. Once that was said and done, they took a seat on a table to ease their sore bodies. The pair sat in silence for a bit before Matt spoke up.

"I meant to ask, what about Laxus? How's he handling his dad being booted from Fairy Tail?"

Makarov sighed before speaking. "Laxus was told his father went on an extended job for an unspecified amount of time. I'll file his proper excommunication papers for the Magic Council soon. For now, I ask you keep this between us. Only Gildarts also knows what actually happened."

"So what'd you tell everyone else?"

"Some thieves broke in, you fought back after calling me, I arrived and dealt with them, but you got pretty beat up. The rest is pretty self-explanatory." Makarov scratched the back of his head. "By the way Matt, can you keep Lumen Histoire a secret from everyone else? Even knowing it's name is dangerous and I want to make sure word doesn't get out."

"Yeah, of course."

Matt nodded as an awkward silence overtook them.

"Well," He stood and clapped, "I better get to bed, pretty tired after all of that hard partying y'know?" He stretched and walked over to the door that lead to his room on the first floor.

"Matt." He called out to the boy.

"Hm?"

Makarov threw him a small sphere which he caught.

"What is this?" He examined the Lacrima in his hand.

"A replacement for the old one. That one not only calls me, but everyone in the guild. So if you're ever in trouble, we'll come to help."

Matt looked at it in silence before smiling.

"Thanks."

He entered his room and closed the door. Makarov left soon after, eager to sleep off the hangover he could tell he'd have tomorrow. He really needed to stop overdoing it at his age. That thought caused the man to stop in his tracks.

"To hell with that!" He shouted to the sky in the middle of Magnolia. "I'm young at heart damnit all!"

The man wanted to scream in defiance some more, but his aching back soon warned him to stop his shouting contest with the universe and go to bed. He'd prove them all wrong one day, they'd better count on it.

* * *

An hour later, Matt had entered a familiar room with a familiar girl. He took a seat on the ground in front of her and sat in silence, contemplating how to start a conversation with a naked girl inside a giant crystal. Harder than it looks y'know?

"I uh, don't know if you can hear me. Doesn't really matter I guess. Just figured that you'd be pretty lonely down here. Pretty lonely up there too at night like this. Guess you and I are in the same boat then huh? Then again I'm all free and you're stuck in a crystal so not really the same boat. Same fleet? Yeah let's go with that." Matt bitterly chuckled and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"I figure since Master Makarov is the only person I can really talk to about my situation, I might as well add another one to the list. So, where to begin? I guess that best place to start with is where I was born. Not here I mean, in my original world. Oh right, I should probably touch in that too shouldn't I? Man I'm bad at this."

Matt continued his conversation with the girl well into the night before he resigned himself to sleep.

**Welcome back to another chapter of this story!** **And a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone reading!**

**So, already we have a change in canon with Ivan's excommunication happening much earlier. This will definitely have an effect on things down the line, but perhaps not in the manner you'd expect.**

**Also for two chapters in a row our poor protagonist has ended up in the care of everyone's favourite human hater. Unfortunately for him, this is far from the last time she'll need to tend to his excessive wounds**** and _far_ from the last time he'll get them. This is a Battle Shonen guys, what do you expect?**

**As for how the timeline will be paced with this story, it will go decently fast at points. This is simply due to the long gaps of the main cast joining the guild and other events happening much later on. This does not mean we'll reach the starting point of the manga anytime soon. If I had to give a rough guess as to when we will, maybe around chapter ****40 or so.**

**Yeah, I know, its a ways off. Though this is counting, original arcs, fluff chapters, character bonding chapters and other various things. Fairy Tail has a pretty large cast, wanna make sure we get ****some moments for the minor characters Matt won't talk to much** **before we really get going.**

**As far as expanding Matt's magic arsenal goes, he will get more magic types, but he'll primarily use two for a large chunk of this story. One of which we already know. The other will be introduced not too long from now. It's definitely a fun one I enjoy writing about in fight scenes, so I hope you all look forward to that.**

**As a side note I did mess up Makarov's age last chapter by a whopping 4 years, huge mistake I know. I honestly have no idea how to go back and edit that chapter to correct it to 73, so I'll just address it here.**

**And since that's all I got to say about that, I leave you with something fun you'll get every now and then with some chapters. Until next time!**

**Omake: **Training is a tough thing y'know (Non-canon)

"Master." Matt approached the old man sat on the bar counter with a serious expression.

"What is it Matt?"

"I want your help in getting stronger."

Makarov looked at the boy and nodded after a moment.

"Come with me."

The boy wordlessly followed as the old man lead him to the basement.

"Sit." He gestured to a chair.

Complying, the boy sat down. The small man pulled up another chair and sat across from Matt.

"In order to expand your Magic Power, you must learn to meditate."

Matt nodded in understanding.

"So in order to help you focus." He pulled out a bottle of alcohol and a rag with a small container of wax. "Wax this."

"... Huh?" His head tilted to the side.

"I said wax this bottle Grasshopper." Suddenly a bandanna was on the man's head.

"Since when was I a Grasshopper? And where the hell did that bandanna come from?!"

A pair of chopsticks that appeared in the man's hand smacked the back of Matt's hand.

"Wax."

The boy's eye twitched as he waxed the bottle of alcohol. He inhaled deeply and exhaled before trying to talk.

"Ma-"

Another smack with the sticks.

"Meditate!"

He grumbled and focused on doing the task.

Makarov nodded with his hand on his chin as he sipped from a glass of green tea that spontaneously appeared in his hand.

"Very good Matt-san. Good technique."

'I've made a horrible mistake.' Matt's eye twitched as he steeled himself to just ask Gildarts next... aw who the hell was he kidding, he was on his own on this front.


	3. Legends of the Ancient Temple

Matt sat beneath a tall tree in meditation. He looked noticeably older, by about 3 years now. Around him were some of his Duel Monsters performing attacks and such in the immediate area. He was currently training his magical endurance to make sure he could use multiple Monsters at once. It was normally either this, or raising the supply of his Magic Power.

He was honestly glad he found this secluded place to train at all. It was a short walk from the guild and right by the lake. The environment also supported Matt's mediation, so that was a huge plus. Tall trees casting large shadows, animals quietly watching the teen and a gentle breeze brushing against his skin.

Sweat beaded off of his body as he sat motionless and with his eyes closed. After another hour he finally relented and released a large breath. Suddenly the Monsters had faded away into gold dust, back to their cards in his deck box.

"Getting better. Certainly a hell of an improvement compared to three years ago." Matt stood and stretched his body before beginning to walk back to the guild.

Ever since that day with Ivan, he'd thrown himself into the hell that is training after hearing the basics from Makarov. About a year ago he started taking jobs to help the guild out and earn some money too. E and D-Rank quests were quickly moved past as he'd settled pretty comfortably into C-Rank quests. Using those he got actual combat experience specifically helping traders with bandits.

However, the major perk was the rumor circle amongst traders. They traveled all over the continent and interacted with all kinds of people, so they have to know a rumor or two that could lead Matt in the right direction. He'd gotten a few leads, but further investigation proved they were all duds.

"Days like this where not having a hoodie anymore is probably good." Matt sighed as he looked towards the sky. Summer had rolled in and it was the fiercest one yet. His poor hoodie had been rendered to shreds on that day with Ivan 3 years ago.

"Wonder what that asshole is up to these days." Truthfully Matt could care less, but curiosity is still a prevalent influence with his 8 year-old body.

After a few more minutes of walking, the youth finally made it back to the guild. He took a seat at his usual table and rested his head. A soft noise of a glass being set on the table made him raise his head.

"Oh, hey Macao, what's up?" Macao and Matt had developed a sort of uncle and nephew relationship. It was the same with Matt and Wakaba in all honesty.

"Not a lot, figured you could use a drink." The young adult smirked.

"Macao I'm 8, I can't drink yet." Matt replied with a dry tone.

"Aw he's just pullin' yer leg. It's just Orange Juice." Wakaba approached the duo with a smirk.

"Oh, thanks then." He immediately set to drink the beverage. This inadvertently caused Macao to sigh.

"Man you're basically immune to kid teasing aren't you?"

Wakaba let out a snort, "You've been trying for years to get him with that, it didn't work then and it ain't gonna work now."

"He's right ya know, kid is sharper than he looks." The trio turned to see Gildarts approach, travel bag slung over his shoulder.

"Oh, hey Gildarts. Heading out for a job?" The smoker greeted the man.

"Yup. Just got a new SS job that's pretty close to here, papa needs a refresh on his bank account." Gildarts exasperated a bit at the end, everyone that knew him could tell you he blew all his money on women. Be they real or photographic, honestly most of the men in the guild pitted the poor guy. Being out of your prime was rough.

"Well good luck out there." Macao gave a grin to Gildarts who responded with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks. Oh yeah, Little Buddy you better be ready for another night out in the town when I get back!" The perverted mage cackled as he left the building. However, he was stopped at the entrance by a little girl with her puppy.

Matt raised an eyebrow at this which caused Macao and Wakaba to look over at the entrance too.

Gildarts just wrote her off and left, Matt felt a little bad for her and went to approach her with the dynamic duo in tow.

"Yo. Welcome to Fairy Tail, do you need anything?" Matt asked the girl who seemed to be a bit younger than him.

"Um. When will Gildarts be back?" She muttered in a barely audible voice.

"Well. Given his usual track record with those kinds of jobs, and how close it is, maybe a week or two. Depends on travel honestly." Macao told her with a hand on his chin.

Her face dropped a bit, "I see…"

"If you want, you can wait here for him, we really don't mind." Matt tried to reassure her.

She simply nodded a bit as she followed them inside. Sitting at a table by herself with a glass of juice and her dog laying on the ground by her feet.

"What do you think her deal is?" Macao asked as he looked at her a bit concerned.

"Couldn't tell ya. Maybe she's a fan?" Wakaba dryly said after taking a hit of his cigarette.

"Perhaps she wants to hire him?" Reedus, a person who joined about a year ago, added as he began to draw her.

"Maybe, but she came off as a bit too timid in more of the "I wanna tell you something" way than the "I need to ask you for something" manner." Matt added while he played with a deck of cards. The youth had recently gotten into learning practical magic tricks, like how they were back home. He had to grasp at the few strings these worlds held in common to get any semblance of peace.

"Guess only time will tell. Still, feel bad for her. Does she even have a place to crash?" The bluenette thought as he took a swig from his mug.

"I could ask if you guys want, I seem to be better at the whole "communication" thing than you guys." Matt dryly added as he began trying some tricks.

"Sure, unless it's name is Laxus." Wakaba verbally sucker punched the boy.

That caused Matt to wince a bit. His relationship with Ivan's son was… rocky at best. He doubted the blonde knew of what transpired that night, but Laxus had become far more antisocial and reclusive. Only sticking around in the dead time between missions. Matt tried to be social to the member of the guild closest to his age, and they had a few good talks before that night. Afterwards though, it almost seemed like Laxus would stare holes into him.

"Either way, better safe than sorry." Matt stood and approached the girl. She was staring the the table rather intently with an unreadable expression.

"Hey, how are you?" He asked with a faint smile.

The girl looked up for a bit as if spooked by the sudden voice, but she quickly calmed.

"I'm okay." She said quietly and kinda quickly.

"What's your name? I'm Matthew, but everyone calls me Matt." He smiled at her.

"Cana Alberona." She said avoiding his gaze.

"Well Cana, what do you plan of doing for the time Gildarts is gone?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders, something told Matt she hadn't thought that far ahead. He sighed and sat across from her.

"Do you have a place to go after the guild closes for the night?" That seemed to cause her body to stiffen and her gaze to avoid his own.

Matt sighed and stood up, "C'mon then, I know a place where you can stay, including your dog."

The girl hesitated at first, but nodded as she grabbed her pet's leash and followed the boy out. They walked for a bit across town until they came across a church.

"Stay here for a sec." He told her while approaching the gate and opening it. "Hey Father Brock, you around?" Matt projected his voice out.

"Hm? Oh Matthew, good to see you. What brings you here today." A large man in a combination of vacation clothes and Priest vestments came out.

"I got someone I want you to meet." He turned towards Cana and motioned her forward. The girl timidly approached the two.

"H-hello." She said with her eyes to the ground.

Father Block smiled, "Hello there child, what might your name be?"

"Cana." She muttered out.

"Well Cana I am Father Block. Do you need a place to stay?"

The girl wordlessly nodded.

"Then how about you go over in the courtyard and meet some of the other people living here."

She looked confused and looked over to Matt who nodded with a smile. The girl walked over in that direction.

"So, what's her story?" Father Block asked the young man who sighed.

"I don't know for sure, just met her today." He shrugged, "If I had to guess though, I'd say she's Gildarts kid."

"Eh?!" Father Block was genuinely surprised by this.

"She tried talking to him earlier about something but couldn't muster up the words. Gildarts also told me a while back about a divorce he had with a girl named Cornelia. Based on her appearance, the timeline matches up."

"I see. So her mother is…" The older man realized why such a young girl would be here alone.

"Yeah, that's probably why she went looking for him to begin with."

"The poor girl. How long do you think she'll need to stay?"

Matt sighed, "Until she either tells Gildarts or something else. Couldn't tell ya what though. Guess we'll see when he gets back from his job."

The duo decided to walk over to the courtyard where Cana was playing with some of the kids while her puppy was being ogled by other kids. They smiled at the sight.

"I'll keep you updated, for now I'm heading out." Matt smiled and walked off back to the guild.

* * *

After ten days, Gildarts finally made his return.

"Yo!" He smiled as he approached the bar currently inhabited by Makarov and Matt who was having his dinner.

"Ah, Gildarts, how'd it go?" Makarov took a sip of his drink.

"Went off without a hitch!" The S-class mage smiled and placed his hand on his hip triumphantly. "Even SS jobs aren't a problem to me!" He then placed a hand on Matt's head. "Don't think I forgot about our night out little buddy! We're gonna go get us some girls! Hahahaha!" Gildarts walked off and headed back to leave the guild.

Cana stood by the entrance in an attempt to talk to him, but couldn't muster the courage. Matt sighed looking at her. He felt bad that a six year-old was put into that kind of position.

"I've been wondering something Matt." Macao asked as he and Wakaba approached. "Why the hell does Gildarts call you "Little Buddy"?"

Matt visibly slumped, "It's because he thinks he can use my cuteness as a kid to attract women." That caused the listeners to barely contain a cackle.

"Are-" The smoker chortletd, "Are you serious?" Wakaba asked, barely keeping it together.

"Oh yeah. The first time he tried that he told this one lady that he was my godfather after my parents died in a war. She immediately slapped him, called him an extorting pig by using me and then gave me her address, saying if I ever needed anything I can drop by unannounced. Before walking off with that kind of sassy head turn." Now that caused everyone to burst into tears of laughter.

"Holy crap! You've gotta have some insane stories under your belt already!" The smoker hollered out, slapping his knee.

"I dunno. There was that one time he tried to hit on twin sisters. I was his "student" and he was taking me out for a dinner after I won a big tournament. His master plan failed miserably when the owner of the bar was their father and he got thrown out. Meanwhile I got a free meal and the twins kept ogling me and asking me how I had such soft hair or what kind of tournament I won. They were nice." He took another bite of his dinner as everyone laughed even harder.

"Kid. Kid. Kid. You _need_ to write a book about all those experiences when you're done being able to do them." Macao wheezed, barely able to breath from laughing.

Matt raised an eyebrow, but shrugged anyways and uttered a "sure" as he kept eating.

He'd already told all those stories to the crystal girl, in fact she was basically his version of a diary. He just told her about his day before going to bed every night he was at the guild for the past 3 years now. It was basically a ritual at this point.

* * *

"Another year has past and another has come." Matt sighed as he looked at the calendar. It was now January 1st X773. He stretched as he walked out into the guild hall early in the morning. As usual, he made himself Breakfast. Matt wouldn't openly admit it, but he'd become a pretty competent cook these past 4 years. Granted he just followed the recipies at first and then added on as time went, but he wasn't a slouch.

The fact the guild had a fully functional kitchen and no one bothered to cook irked the boy. So he took up the task himself. Now he was also the cook to the guild.

Again, as usual, by the time he was done with prepping food, Master Makarov entered the guild.

"Good morning Matt." The old man greeted him with a smile.

"Mornin' Master, how are you?"

"Still a bit stiff, but alright nonetheless." Makarov leapt onto the bar counter. Where, as usual, a freshly brewed glass of coffee waited for him. While Makarov drank, Matt read the paper that gets delivered every morning.

And as usual for recent memory, the first person into the guild beside them was Cana. She'd recently joined after taking up card magic, being interested in it after seeing Matt's card tricks. By the way, he was well on his way to mastering every trick with those.

Regardless, as usual, a warm breakfast made by Matt awaited her along with a glass of juice. Her dog, he found out was called Scruffy, typically stayed at the church now as the colder season actually hit the trader town pretty hard.

The guild was covered in fog due to being right on the shore of a massive lake. It didn't stop those in the guild from coming regardless. They honestly took it as a challenge from nature to party even harder until it bended the knee. Most of the guild members weren't the sharpest tools in the shed if Matt was being honest.

However none of that mattered today. Because today was a special one. Matt had gotten wind of strange ruins not too far from Hargeon that seemed based around ancient magic. Apparently they were hidden for so long due to the surrounding area housing lots of nasty animals. Fortunately habit shifts and other factors caused the deadly animals to leave the area, allowing people to find the ruins.

He'd been anxiously awaiting a time when he could go and do it without raising suspicion, and he had just the perfect plan.

"Hey Master." Matt looked over to the small man.

"Hm?"

"I was thinking about heading over to Hargeon later."

"Oh? Why's that." Makarov asked with a brow raise.

"Huh?" Matt looked at Makarov confused. "You mean you don't remember?"

"Eh? Remember what?"

Matt looked around before sighing and whispering to Master, "Your wife's birthday is in two weeks."

Makarov went as pale as a ghost with that reminder.

"So I figured I'd go see if there's anything nice I could get her as a gift y'know?"

"Yes! Yes please go!" Makarov quickly said before whispering back, "Please get something for me to use too."

Matt chuckled a bit before nodding and walking over to his room. He placed his Deck Box on his belt, put his recent newly bought knife in it's sheath on the back of his belt and put on his new purple jacket, a christmas gift from Makarov, before heading out.

After grabbing a train ticket to the town, Matt had a lot of time to think. He tried to push his worries aside to lower his expectations. However, such a thing was easier said than done. If he went by mental years, Matt was almost 29. He'd been "dead" over there for four years now.

Would his family even accept he was alive if he made it back? Would they even believe it? Those thoughts ran rampant in his head as the next thing he knew, he'd arrived.

Grabbing a map from the train station, Matt made his way north. It'd be about a two hour walk from leaving the city limits, but that didn't bother him. He was a man on a mission and come hell or high water, he wouldn't be stopped. Matt rolled up the sleeves of his jacket and marched forward.

After marching through some ridiculous forest area that was more jungle-like, he finally found the ruins. They were certainly magnificent. Intricate carvings on large stone pillars draped in vines and moss were the first thing he saw. The pillars formed a circle around an area clearly meant for some kind of social gathering. However this didn't interest him as much as the giant temple in front of him.

It was pyramid-like, the pale colored stone also had detailed carvings etched into it. Symbols of their gods and practices laid bare for all to see. If this was the old him, he'd be entranced by the marvel of ancient architecture. Unfortunately, that side of him was heavily suppressed by the drive to go home.

As he approached the large entrance to the temple, he heard faint murmurs from inside, echoing to the surface.

'Someone else is here.' Matt's eyes narrowed. 'Bandits, Archeologists or dumb kids?' The boy considered just who would be down there.

"Most likely Mercenaries, hired to take the old magic book that lies here." A voice spoke out behind Matt, causing him to draw a card and turn, ready to fight.

"Whoa there, easy. I'm not here to fight you." The voice belonged to a girl about the same age as Matt. She had long dark purple hair that was in twin tails with brown eyes, a purple shirt that had a low neck and was open on the upper arms, lastly she wore black leggings and brown boots. Her arms were raised defensively.

"So why are you here then?" He asked keeping his guard up.

"I'm simply here out of curiosity, that old magic that's rumored to be here is pretty interesting ain't it?" Her tone seemed innocent, but Matt felt something was off. Though if she could fight, then having an extra set of hands to help would be useful.

The boy sighed and lowered his arm with a card ready. "Alright then, seeing as you'd probably be somewhat competent magic-wise to even be here, how about we work together to deal with those mercenaries?"

"Finally, someone that speaks plainly." The girl sighed in relief. At Matt's raised eyebrow she moved her hand side-to-side. "I just deal with someone that talks a bit too cryptically sometimes."

"I see." He shrugged off her oddness.

"Regardless we should probably introduce ourselves." She outstretched her right hand. "I'm Ultear Milkovich."

Matt returned the gesture. "Matthew, but everyone calls me Matt."

The girl's eyebrow rose up, "Just Matthew?"

"I had my last name discarded. Let's leave it at that." He calmly replied to her.

Ultear shrugged as she looked down the dimly lit corridor. "We better not keep them waiting. Who knows what they're getting up to down there."

"You kidding me? I hope they spring all those nasty traps and save us the hassle while we dilly dally up here."

"I suppose that would be nice wouldn't it?" The girl giggled a bit at the dark humor.

"Unfortunately it doesn't seen like these guys are that incompetent, so let's proceed carefully." He looked towards the girl who nodded as they both began to walk down the dimly lit stairs.

* * *

As the two walked down the stairs, Ultear decided to make some conversation. "So I told you why I'm here, how about you?"

"Same reason as you I guess. I'm interested in seeing what kind of magic this is."

"Oh? Are you on a job or something?" She asked which got an eyebrow to rise from Matt. "Your guild stamp is pretty visible y'know."

"No, I'm not here on guild business. This is strictly personal." Matt spoke matter-of-factly as the pair reached the bottom of the stairs and came across a split path.

"Hmmm. Left or right?" Ultear looked back-and-forth between the paths.

"We go Left." The boy spoke with certainty.

"Why's that?"

"Two reasons: first, that's the wall you hug in a maze and secondly, these guys are marking their path." He pointed to an arrow carved in the stone.

"Good eye." She stated as they began to follow the carvings on the walls.

As they walked, the muffled voices became clearer.

"Where the hell is it?!" One voice roared out in anger.

"How am I supposed to know? The bastard told us that the book was supposed to be here." Another, more feminine voice spoke.

"Calm down you two. These old civilizations tended to be tricky in order to guard their secrets." The final voice, possibly the boss spoke calmly.

Matt and Ultear eventually entered a large two-floor area that seemed to be the heart of the temple. They took cover behind the stone railing of the top floor and finally saw the trio that was present. They were in front of a massive statue of a man atop a throne dressed in ornate clothing and jewelry.

The first voice was a tall and bulky bald man that wore tattered military clothes, likely due from battle. His most obvious feature being the scar that ran diagonally across his face.

Voice two was a beautiful woman with green hair tied into a ponytail. She wore clothes in a far better state that reminded Matt of the clothes Safari guides would wear in the jungle.

Lastly voice 3 was a man with short blonde hair and finer clothing on. Seemingly uncaring for getting the pricey looking clothes dirty.

The former two huddled around the leader who was gazing at a map placed on a fallen column. Matt could make out that it was a map of the building, perhaps they marked the walls as a precaution?

"So what do you make of those three?" Ultear asked Matt in a hushed voice.

"Big guy looks to be the least threatening, but he could have a strong magic. The girl evades me a bit, but seeing as she's wearing that kind of clothing, despite being a mage, she's probably the overly prepared type that hates it when things go wrong." Matt paused as he looked at the last guy. "Leader down there… I don't like the vibe he gives off. He's dangerous, but that's all I get."

Ultear nodded, "Yeah I get that too. What's your magic by the way? It'd help us plan if we knew what we could do."

"Right. To put it simply: I use these cards to summon spirits."

"Never heard of that before. Doesn't matter, I can manipulate the time of objects." Matt raised an eyebrow at her words.

"That… could actually be handy in this situation." He placed a hand on his chin. "See that map they're all surrounding?" Ultear nodded at his words, prompting him to continue. "It's on the fallen pillar. And based on where it is, if you fixed that pillar we could get our hands on it and figure out what has them stumped."

Ultear followed his train if thought and finished for him, "And in the process split them up so we can take them out one-by-one. That's not half bad actually. Let's do it." She nodded at her partner.

"Alright, on my signal then." The girl nodded at his words as he raised his hand.

"I'm telling you it means we have to come on the solar eclipse!" The big guy shouted.

"And I'm telling you that you're an idiot. What kind of idiotic civilization would lock away their most sacred magic behind something that rarely happens?!"

The leader sighed at the others antics. It was true that this riddle was more cryptic than he'd hoped.

"I invite challenge, but embody protection. I destroy as much as I do protect. When I am removed, I mark the end."

He glanced from the map to the statue. There was something he wasn't getting. The pieces were all there, but the dots weren't connecting for some reason.

"Would you two pipe it down already. Arguing isn't getting us anywhere." He looked over to the two.

""He/She started it!!"" They shouted in unison. Leader sighed as he felt a rumble. The next thing he knew the pillar with the map had suddenly shot right back up to where it had originally been.

"The hell?!" Baldy shouted at the spontaneous event.

However the small pitter patter of footsteps told the leader that someone else was around.

"Stein, Carmilla, go deal with our guests. I'll stay here and guard in case more are hidden."

The duo wordlessly jumped to the second floor in pursuit.

* * *

"I can't believe that worked." Ultear said between breathes as she and Matt ran down the corridor they came from.

"Told you it'd work, now let's see here." Matt read the map whilst running. "I invite challenge, but embody protection. I destroy as much as I do protect. When I am removed, I mark the end."

"A riddle huh? Was never good at those." Ultear sighed in annoyance.

Matt remained silent for a moment, "Power."

"Huh?"

"The answer is power." He spoke with absolute certainty.

"Okay, that's all fine and dandy, but how does that help us?"

As he pieced it together, he snapped his fingers, "We need to get back to that room."

"Huh?! But we just left!" Ultear honestly had no idea what he meant.

"I know how to solve the riddle, but we need to deal with these guys first. Here." He handed her the map. "I already memorized it so I know how to get back there. We'll split up at this upcoming path and meet back up later."

"Got it!" She took the map and the pair broke off.

A moment later, Carmilla and Stein wound up at the same path.

"Damn, did they split up?" Stein breathed heavily as he looked both ways.

"You go left I go right."

"Got it." The pair then split off themselves.

* * *

Matt was currently catching his breath in a side room. He was glad he figured out how to find the magic, the problem was getting to it with these three in the way. The boy was confident in Ultear's ability, but the lack of intel on the enemy annoyed him. His train of thought was broken by footsteps rapidly approaching, causing Matt to hide and take out a card.

"Damnit, where the hell are they?" Carmilla looked around the room. "Guess I got no choice." A green magic circle appeared by her feet. Dozens of thorn covered vines shot out from it and began scouring the area, hunting for the boy.

Matt noticed the gaps in the ground between the floors and slipped a card between them. Next thing he knew, a painful vice grip was on his ankle and reeling him up. He then came face to face with the woman.

"A kid? You've gotta be kidding me." The girl scoffed at the sight of Matt.

"Sorry lady, if you were expecting Indiana Jones then I'm gonna have to disappoint you."

"Indiana who?"

'Oh god I feel so alone in this world.' Matt's internal crisis ended as quickly as it began since his life was on the line. Literally.

"Heh. Doesn't matter anyways, I got one thing he doesn't."

The girl smirked, "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Surprise." Matt snapped his fingers as a massive hole was cut into the ground, causing the girl to loose balance and focus. Before hitting the ground, Matt was caught by his Monster.

"Thanks Celtic Guardian." Matt smiled at the Monster who nodded in response. "Now then, to deal with her." Matt was set back on the ground and looked at his opponent. She was slowly getting back up after colliding face-first into the ground. Blood from a broken nose dripped onto the ground.

"You little shit! I'll kill you!" Another large magic circle opened up in front of her causing a torrent of vines to shoot out.

"Not so fast. Come on out Flame Swordsman!" Matt threw out a card causing his monster to appear. He immediately got to slicing apart the vines with Celtic Guardian. Though the formers cuts were igniting the vines with magic. Forcing the woman to cut the magic to those vines before the fire traveled up them.

"Tch." She clicked her tongue as her vines were cut and burned by the duo in front of her. "Annoying brat. How's this then?!" Numerous small magic circles surrounded the trio as large, single vines shot from them. The monsters surrounded Matt as they continued their defense.

A vine barely missed impaling Matt's head as a large cut went up his cheek.

'So she can also do that huh? I need to get the jump on her.' He carefully observed the pattern of her attacks. More cuts began to pile up on his small frame, he felt around his body for anything and smirked as two distinct objects brushed by his hands.

'And I think I know just how to.' Matt reached behind him and drew his knife. Then he threw it at her with a card attached to it.

"How naïve!" She used a vine to hit the knife to the ground. "Was that the best you could do?" The girl smirked victoriously.

"As a matter of fact, that was all I could do." He boy calmly stated before smirking. "But it's not all _she_ can do."

Carmilla raised an eyebrow in confusion before a viscous magic attack collided with her back and caused her to collide with the floor, Matt winced at the noise her body made against the stone floor.

"Good going Dark Magician Girl." The monster smiled and made a peace sign before disappearing along with the other two monsters.

"H-how?" Carmilla weakly spat out. That attack took everything out of her, so she could barely talk, let alone move.

"Easy." Matt walked over and picked up the knife which in fact had a grey-colored joker card attached to it. This caused Carmilla to go wide-eyed.

"You distracted me with that first and then threw the actual card when I wasn't looking at you."

"Bingo." He smirked.

The girl snorted, "Crafty... bastard." She then passed out after cursing him.

Sighing, Matt rolled his ankle a bit. Those thorns didn't feel nice, but they missed his Achilles Tendon so he'll be fine. The rest of his cuts weren't deep or bleeding badly, so he should be able to finish the fight.

"Now then, one down, two to go." He promptly exited the room to head back towards the main hall.

* * *

This wasn't Ultear's first experience like this. She ran through the hallways with the map folded and in a slot on the inside of her boot. Thankfully the place had a simple layout that was easy to memorize. Her method was to run in all sorts of different paths in order to loose her tail before heading back to the main hall.

That was her plan until the big bastard from before suddenly burst through the wall. He gazed at her as he swiped the dust away from his ragged clothes.

"A little girl?" Stein raised an eyebrow before shrugging. "Whatever, not the first time I've dealt with you lot before." He got in a runner's stance before charging the girl.

However instead of colliding with a small target, Stein felt nothing. He stopped and turned to see no one there. The girl was just gone. Stein didn't have a lot of time to be shocked however as the ground beneath him suddenly collapsed. He fell onto the ground as bricks smashed into his body.

"That's never happened before." He got up and dusted himself off. "Must be that damn girl. The hell is her magic?"

Just as he began to question what was happening, the wall next to him exploded outwards and collided with his body. The bricks were rendered to dust from the force they hit him with. That caused Stein to roar in pain.

"That's it! Breaking everything!" Stein roared as a gold aura surrounded him and he ran rampant across the area, seemingly unharmed by the wanton destruction.

Hidden in the shadows was a squatting Ultear with a raised eyebrow.

'Talk about a short temper.' Ultear mentally sighed before getting back in track. 'Anyways, what's that aura around him? Is it making him immune to pain?' It did make sense, the man was smashing through walls head-first without showing any negative effects. Though if it was that strong, why not have it up all the time?

An idea came to Ultear that she immediately shot down. She'd NEVER resort to using that traitors magic. Not in a million years. Her thoughts were soon drowned out by the groaning on the very temple.

Thinking fast, Ultear rebuilt as many walls as possible to avoid a collapse. However she knew this process would drain her quickly if she had to keep doing it over and over. This fight had to end now. And thankfully, Ultear had an idea.

Stein continued going through wall after wall without a care in the world. But after a while he noticed his odd lack of progress. Not only was that girl still nowhere to be seen, but now everything he was breaking seemed endless. He stopped for a moment in confusion. The aura around him fading as he stood motionless.

"Well that's never happened before." He scratched his head and looked around. The next thing he knew the ceiling had collapsed on him. Once again the bricks hit him as hard as bullets. However instead of a pause, the walls exploded out towards him with the same speed.

"I'm getting real tired of-" Before he could finish, the ground he stood on shot up and hit him. Despite all the head trauma from the bricks, he was still going.

This wouldn't last long however, as the ground shot up once again, except now it lifted him up too. He went up so fast his head collided with the ceiling and a viscous snapping noise echoed through the temple.

Stein lay prone on the ground, Ultear approached him without care as his form was motionless.

"Hmph. Guess he was the easiest to take out being that stupid." The girl sighed before beginning to walk off. "That invincible aura seemed to only turn on when he was running." She smirked at her deductive abilities.

"Kill." Stein's hand grabbed her leg tightly.

"What?! He should be dead!" Ultear yelled in shock.

"KILL!!!" Stein roared like a beast. His grip tightened, causing her to yelp in pain.

Instead of looking afraid, Ultear looked absolutely furious.

She raised her hand and Stein's head was bombarded by the bricks of the temple. Parts of his body were reduced to paste and crimson mist. A crimson pool gathered around the duo as he was bled dry.

Ultear breathed heavily at the sight before her. She felt no pity or remorse. How dare this oaf stand in her way. In the way of Grimoire Heart?! His punishment was light compared to what she would've done to anyone else as far as she was concerned.

"My my, quite the violent one aren't you?" Ultear turned around to see the leader of the group before her.

"Good. I can just deal with you now instead of later." Ultear smirked as she raised her hand and caused the ceiling to collapse onto the man. However he just stood there, almost bored by her action. The bricks that were about to hit him suddenly stopped mid-air. "What?" The girl was wide-eyed at the sight.

"How about you sleep now little girlie. Or should I say Pawn of Hades?" Before Ultear could voice her shock, a brick smacked her in the head and knocked her out.

* * *

Matt slowly and sneakily made his way back to the main hall. He hid in the shadows to the best of his ability and kept an ear out for anything. That rampage he assumed the big guy went on earlier worried him a bit, but Ultear seemed capable enough.

The boy reentered the heart of the temple without making a sound. He ducked behind the railing on the second floor to avoid being seen.

"C'mon out kid, I know you're there." A voice Matt assumed to be the boss spoke out openly.

'Damn. Does his magic allow him to sense movement? If not then he's bluffing. No harm in waiting a moment to see if he repeats that sentence again.'

"Oh I see, you probably think I've been spouting that out periodically to bait you. I'll admit I'm not that clever, but believe me when I say I'm being serious."

'I see, but if he knows I'm here, it doesn't mean he knows exactly where. So I guess this is my gameplan.' Matt stood and reveled his head from above the railing. The blonde man caught sight of him after a moment.

"Yo. I see you took care of Carmilla. Though judging by the lack of an iron smell on you, she's alive."

"Huh? I'm a Fairy Tail mage, we don't kill people." Matt said in a patronizing tone.

The blonde chuckled, "I see, well knowing that I guess you really aren't the murder type then. That's a shame, because killing me is the only way you'd get by me." His voice lowered as a malicious aura surrounded him.

Matt scowled at the man before fully standing up.

"Well, y'know what they say." Quickly throwing his knife at the man, Matt was surprised when he didn't dodge. He was even more surprised when his knife was suspended midair.

"He who strikes first wins the battle." The blonde finished the quote. "Nice try kid, my turn." Matt barely dodged the knife that returned to him a twice the speed.

He ran behind cover as parts of the railing spontaneously exploded from objects being flung at him.

'Is this guy able to manipulate vectors?! Or is his Telekinesis so strong he can shoot the air at me?' Matt internally screamed at the thought. 'Shit. Gotta keep my cool. I know how to deal with this kind of power. Just gotta be patient.' Trying to clam himself, Matt stayed hidden behind a pillar. 'Can't stop moving though…' He glanced at a rock. 'Though that doesn't mean _I_ have to be the one that moves.'

He chucked the rock on the ground towards the direction he'd naturally head in. Thankfully this fooled the blonde into attacking the railing following that path.

"You can't hide forever kid!" Rocks began to rip apart the pillar on the opposite end if the room from Matt.

Using this chance, he backtracked to grab his knife. Thankfully it had broken the rock and fallen to the ground. While the blonde was focused on attacking a whole lot of nothing, Matt got prepared.

He knew he couldn't make this throw, so he summoned Celtic Guardian and used gestures to inform him of the plan. The spirit nodded and grabbed the knife.

"Now come out!" The final attack caused the pillar to collapse. However the lack of pained grunts confused the blonde. That is until he felt a sharp pain on his arm. "Gahh!!!" A familiar knife had lodged itself into his armpit. He suddenly turned to see nothing there except for golden dust.

Veins bulged on the head of the Leader. "That's it!!!" He swung his arms and knocked all the pillars supporting the upper floor down. A massive cloud of dust covered the room.

Matt hid behind a fallen pillar and assessed his damage. 'At most I'll have some nasty bruising. But I can still go.' Mentally he was relived he could still fight. Though he wasn't excited at the prospect. 'Thankfully my earlier theory proved true. His magic isn't Telekinesis, he can instead manipulate vectors, but only in the direction he's facing or with the areas of his arms and given focus. Catching him off-guard is my best option. Problem is I've lost my major advantage. What to do now…'

Meanwhile the blonde had pulled out the knife and dropped it to the ground. A copious amount if blood shot out from the wound.

"Shit, he got an artery." The leader grimaced as he used his right arm to try and stall the bleeding. "Need to end this fight soon." His gaze sharpened as he used his magic to dispel the dust in the room. He looked around for any sign of the brat, unfortunately there was none.

"Damn brat, he knows I'm starting to bleed out. Unfortunately I don't have any more patience!" Within his eye sight, he caused the debris to collide with the wall in order to squish anything hiding. This took extreme focus without the use of his arms, so he slowly did it.

Matt moved in the direction his gaze would follow as he kept trying to think of a plan. 'Shit, he's sure as hell not giving me anymore leeway.' However his first mistake finally occurred when he tripped and made noise due to being lost in thought.

"Gotcha!" The blonde shouted as a concussive force smashed the area. Matt was violently thrown through a wall and into a room. Thankfully a dust cloud covered the hole, which barely gave him enough time to scramble out and into a corridor.

The boy leaned against a wall and breathed heavily, clutching his side in pain. 'Shit. One mistake and I nearly died there.' He looked down and scowled. His belt had been ripped and now his deck was somewhere in that room, with that bastard, who was also _really _mad.

'Thankfully I at least kept this guy on me.' Matt gazed at the card he had put in his pants pocket. It wasn't strong per say, but it had a useful power for this environment. 'Unfortunately unless I can get a distinction, I can't do anything.'

A tapping on his shoulder caused Matt to look over and see a disheveled looking Ultear.

"Hey there." She groaned out. A nasty bruise was on her forehead and she walked with a limp.

"Hey yourself. You holding up alright?"

The girl did a sigh laugh, "I should be asking you. You look like hell."

"Yeah, well, that guy ain't fun." Matt sighed as he rolled his neck.

"Tell me about it." Ultear muttered. "Got a plan?"

Matt smirked, "Now I do with you here." The girl raised an eyebrow as Matt told her what he had in mind.

"Damn brat! I know you're alive! Come out already!!" The blonde shouted, almost immediately regretting it as he started to get wobbly. Blood loss was being lessened, but still setting in.

While he was distracted, he barely caught a pillar flying right at him which he immediately stopped.

"Shit, that psycho brat must be up. Normally two-on-one ain't so bad..." The blonde sighed, as he quickly noticed another pillar flying right at him from behind. He was forced to use his right hand to block it while his front was focused on the other. "Can't take me out that easily!"

In his gloating and weariness, the blonde failed to notice the subtle rumbling beneath him until a drill head burst through the ground, it was connected to a large mole. He barely moved his head out of the way from imminent death.

"Nice try bastards!" Gloating at the fact their sneak attacks failed, he was about to begin a counterattack. Unfortunately, that was short lived.

Matt ran up behind him and smashed the man over the head with his elbow. Grand Mole also went and kicked the man's face at the same time. The blonde went out like a light after that combined attack.

"Unfortunately for you, I'm smarter." Matt stated as he looked at the unconscious form of the man.

"Thanks for the help." He smiled at Grand Mole who saluted him before fading away.

Matt squatted down and tore some fabric off of the man's clothing to make a bandage to stop the bleeding.

"You shouldn't do that y'know, he'll just come back." Ultear bluntly said as she walked in.

"Maybe, but if I beat him before, I can do it again." He rationalized as the knot was done being tied.

Ultear scoffed at those words but didn't retaliate verbally.

Matt stood and dusted himself off. "Now then, time for the riddle."

"Oh yeah, how do you solve it." Ultear raised an eyebrow at Matt who approached the statue.

"Simple, the answer is power." Matt began to climb the statue.

"You said that, but how does that help us? Do we have to unleash a powerful aura or something?"

Matt snorted at the comment, "No no, nothing like that. See it's about symbolism. In ancient and even to modern cultures one common thing has been a symbol for power and respect. Especially amongst men in the old times."

"Okay, what is it then?"

Matt turned to the girl and smirked before he pressed down on the one ring the statue wore. Like a button, it caved into the force. A rumbling slowly moved the statue to the side to reveal a hidden path beneath it.

"Rings have been symbols of power and respect for years if a man wears one on his index or thumb finger. Why do you think whenever someone enters a hall of fame they get one? It's a notion of respect for the path they made." Matt looked down the dimly lit stairwell before looking over his shoulder to Ultear.

"Well, ya coming or not?"

That seemed to snap her out of her surprise as she quickly followed him down the steps.

After a short descent, they entered a chamber where at the end if it, a book rested atop a pedestal. Matt then got to his knees and made his head parallel with the ground.

"What are you doing?" Ultear spoke in genuine confusion.

"Making sure that these guys weren't the type to booby trap their own sacred items."

She rolled her eyes and raised her arm. The girl felt a slight tug in the room that was foreign and pulled. Immediately tons of darts in the walls shot out.

Matt immediately pulled her down as the likely poisoned darts flew by overhead.

Ultear blinked a few times as she laid atop the boy. A subtle heat rose to her face as she looked at his confused face.

"Uh, I can't make babies yet, but thanks for the offer." He dryly joked to her.

She scoffed and smacked his arm, getting a small "Ow!" from him. Afterwards she stood up and waited for Matt to stand.

Once that experience was in the books, he made his way over to the book he actually came here for and grabbed it.

"Sure as hell haven't seen that language before." He remarked as he opened it.

Thankfully there were pictures so he got the gist of it. The language here may be the same as it was back home, but he was also a child. Picture books were an acceptable medium of entertainment... at least that's what Matt told himself to avoid crying in the shower tonight.

Ultear carefully watched Matt as he looked through it. Part of her really hoped he didn't want to keep it, otherwise she may have to take it by force. However her hope was answered as his face fell looking over it. He closed it shut rather harshly and tossed it to her.

"Keep it, it's completely worthless to me." His tone was almost defeated as he began to walk away.

The girl was pretty surprised honestly. She looked over it and saw it wasn't anything she'd need either, however she could see why Master Hades would want it. Maybe another Kin in the future could use this.

"By the way, what guild are you in-" As Ultear turned to look towards Matt, he was already gone.

* * *

Matt returned to the guild tired and sore. He plopped down onto a seat by the bar and sighed. It was almost closing time so no one was around.

"Oh, Matt, you're back." Makarov approached the boy after likely taking out the trash. "Goodness! What happened to you?!" He saw the disheveled and messy state he was in.

"That store I went to was having a massive New Years sale. It was like a stampede of people." Matt spoke in an exhausted tone.

"I see." Makarov remained silent for a moment before he remembered something. "My boy, did you get anything?"

His question was answered by Matt's outstretched hand holding a beautiful golden necklace with an ornate design. Makarov gaped in awe over how gorgeous it was.

"Consider that a present from the both of us." He plainly spoke.

"Where did you find this?"

Shortly after Matt defeated Carmilla

As Matt went to leave the room he noticed something around the girls neck. He approached her unconscious form and saw a beautiful necklace here.

"Hmm." He thought as he looked at it. Matt tried to imagine it around Mrs. Dreyar's neck and nodded at the result. He took the necklace from her. "Consider this payment for letting you live." The boy spoke in a rather overdramatic tone. As he exited the room, one could faintly hear him say, "I lie, I cheat, I steal," in a musical manner while swinging said necklace around his finger.

"The owner of the store felt bad for me and gave it to me." He made up that story pretty easily.

Makarov didn't even care as he grabbed it and sighed in relief.

"Well good work out there today. Now get some rest!" Makarov then locked up and left the guild.

"Tell me about it." Matt sighed as he went to go sleep, after cleaning himself up.

* * *

"Ah, Ultear, you've returned. I assume you brought what I asked for." A man obscured by shadows sat on a throne in a large hall area.

"Of course Master Hades." The girl presented the book from earlier.

Hades lifted his hand and the book flew over to him. He examined the content and nodded.

"Very good. Any difficulties? Judging by the bandages on your head and leg I'd say you had some."

The girl flinched, "Yes, I was caught off-guard by the enemy. Fortunately I had assistance from someone else in disposing of them."

"Oh? And who was this person?" Hades raised an eyebrow at her words. He was surprised Ultear actually bothered to interact with someone.

"A member of a legal guild. I couldn't get the name of it before he left though."

"I see. What sort of emblem was it if you saw it?"

"... It reminded me of a fairy." Ultear tried to explain to the best if her ability.

"Fairy Tail…" Now there was a name Hades hadn't thought of in quite some time.

"Is something wrong Master?"

"No. It's nothing. Good job today, I'll have another task for you later. Until then you are dismissed."

"Yes." Ultear left the room as Hades stared at the book.

"Fairy Tail eh? Wonder what types of brats Makarov has these days." The old man's tone dripped with nostalgia.

Ultear entered her room and plopped down onto her bed. She was rather tired after that ordeal. After Matt had left she disposed of the surviving two members of that group. She imagined he didn't have that kind of blood in him to kill people, especially if they were already defeated.

Honestly she was rather surprised by him. He knew how to plan well and was certainly capable in a fight. Personality-wise she didn't mind someone as quick as him.

She tried to brush those thoughts from her head as she drifted off to sleep. However a part of her mind was eagerly awaiting the next time they'd meet.

**And another one bites the dust! Unfortunately your day shall not infinity loop until I discover the secret to good writing after that sentence.**

**So we finally meet a major duo of characters outside of Fairy Tail. Ultear and Hades. I'll definitely be doing more stuff with Ultear down the line. As for Hades, I don't really feel a need to do much with him. He actually went out pretty okay and the backstory manga really helped his character. So, I have no real ideas to use with him.**

**As for the dynamic trio that all died the same chapter they were introduced. There's a reason why I kept that leader unnamed. However that's saved for what I have planned **_**MUCH** _**furthur down the line with this fic.**

**We also got introduced to Cana this chapter! Definitely gonna have some fun with her as we go on. She'll be interacting with Matt a fair bit if that wasn't somewhat obvious already. So I hope to give her some more time to shine in the future**, **even if it takes us a bit to get there.**

**Next chapter is the start of a short two chapter arc that will have some major effects on our pint-sized protagonist. So keep an eye out for when those come out.**

**The holiday season should not have any real effect on these upcoming chapters release dates. But I'm not a hundred percent positive on that.**

**I also found the chapter edit button! I swear to all of you that I am a young 21 year-old man. Please no bully.**

**With all that said and done, I want to thank you all for reading and wish all of you a wonderful day!**


	4. The Looming Cinders

'Alright, so the rumor approach clearly ain't working.' Matt thought as he sat at the bar of the guild. It'd been a month since his trip to Hargeon and absolutely _nothing_ new had popped up. Not even a sliver of a rumor peeked out from the abyss of the unknown.

'I think it's time for a new approach.' Matt was deep in thought over the next best way to tackle getting home. While shooting various ideas down in his head ranging from hostile takeover of the country to breaking in to the Magic Council, the small form of Cana approached him.

"Hey, Big Bro Matt!" She looked up at him with excited eyes.

"Hm?" His eyes slightly turned to the side. "Oh, hey Cana, what's up?" He somewhat absentmindedly responded.

"Look at what I can do!" She pulled out a deck of cards and drew one. After a moment it spit out a small plume of fire, the next card card unleashed a small lightning bolt and the last one let out a small ball of water.

"You're making a lot of progress aren't you?" Matt faintly smiled at Cana.

The girl gave a big smile towards him in return. For about half a year now, she'd started calling him "big bro". He didn't honestly mind it at first. Now though? It just serves as a painful reminder of the people he'll leave behind when he goes back home.

"It's all thanks to that book Master showed me." Something perked up in Matt when she said that. He went stiff as his brain processed her words.

"Cana. You. Are. A genius!" Matt kissed the top of the girls head and ran through one of the doors in the guild. She just stood there very confused as to what just happened.

The boy entered the archive of the guild in the basement. And quickly began to look through the numerous books lining the shelves.

'Christ I'm an idiot! How the hell was this not the first thing I did?!' Books contained all kinds of knowledge. Countless threads that all lead to different endings. All Matt had to do was follow the right thread. He sighed and looked over the bookshelves. Not knowing where to start definitely made this harder.

"Oh, finally decided to come in here eh?" Gazing up towards the entrance revealed Makarov hopping down each step towards Matt.

"Yeah, honestly I don't know why this wasn't my first stop."

"Well sometimes we think the obvious just won't work. Especially someone in your situation."

"You got a point there. Where do I even start here though?" He looked around and saw thousands of books. None of which were on the slim side.

"Well why not from the beginning if need be. Just read every book here."

Matt looked at the old man with a dry expression, "Master if I did that I'd be as old as you by the time I'm done."

Makarov chucked at his words, "I'm fully serious my boy. Prehaps these would help." He pulled out a pair of weird-looking glasses.

"Ah, thanks but my eyesight is fine." He waved them away.

"No, these are Gale-Force Reading Glasses. Here, try them out." He handed the pair to Matt who simply shrugged and put them on. Grabbing the thinnest book he could find, he opened it. Then he proceeded to coherently read the entire thing in about a minute.

"Okay. What in the world just happened." Matt had a shocked look on his face as he held the now read book in his hand.

Chuckling, Makarov wished he could take a picture of his face right now. "Those glasses allow one to read as many times as fast as they normally read based on the number. Those are set to 120 times, so reading everything here with how fast you read that shouldn't be a problem."

"Holy crap, thanks Master!" He smiled brightly as he finally felt steps were being made in the right direction.

"Of course, just make sure you ask before you use them okay?" Makarov told the boy before exiting the room.

Matt nodded as he started putting books into a pile and began the long process made significantly shorter.

After a solid week straight of reading, Matt had gone through everything the guild had. Unfortunately nothing there could help him. However, knowing what these glasses could do, he set out to save enough cash to buy his own pair.

His plan was to go to the town library next and read everything there. Then if nothing was there, repeat the process again and again in every town he visited until he found something. Naturally this process was certainly easier said than done.

It took a month of saving his money from jobs, but he finally got his own pair of 200 times glasses. The lenses were considerably thicker than Makarov's pair, but he could care less about how they looked. Immediately afterwards he spent another week reading everything the Magnolia Library had, and again, nothing.

So then he tried Hargeon, then Balsum, followed by Shirotsume, next was Onibus, after that was Oshibana, then Clover, Oak, Lupinus, Cedar, Margaret, Malba, Borwatt, Acalypha, Freesia, and every time he came up with nothing at all.

Hell, Matt even went through the libraries of any guild's willing to help him. Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus happily allowing him to go through and see if there was anything that could help him. Unfortunately, those wells were dry too. He even looked into a library in a town at the Land of Isvan he visited on a job. Unfortunately all of those books were ones he had read already.

Matt debated heading straight to Era, but given that it was the headquarters of the Magic Council who would be rightfully suspicious of a child asking to read all their books, he wisely abstained from going there.

The next thing Matt knew, it was the following year and he was no closer to finding a way home. So pounding his head over and over onto the bar sounded like a good way for him to relive stress.

"Uhhh. Is the kid alright?" Macao looked over at the form of Matt with a worried expression.

"Oh he's just exhausted after spending the past 15 months looking through every book in the country for certain information and coming up dry." Makarov assured the man as he drank from his mug.

"Wait, you mean he's read every friggin book in Fiore?!" Wakaba was genuinely shocked.

"No. I still got one place left to go." Matt chimed in after he finally stopped bashing his head on the bar. Surprisingly no marks were on his forehead. "But after that? Yes, I would have."

"Oh? Where's the last place then?" The chain smoker asked.

"Corcus." Matt groaned out.

"The capital? Why haven't you checked there yet?" Macao raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Two reasons: first off, the info I'm looking for is obscure, so the random towns deep in the countryside have a better shot at holding it than the capital. Secondly, there's _so_ _many_ books in that library."

"Seriously?" Macao asked with genuine curiosity.

"Let me put it to you like this, the closest library in size is over at Margaret Town with 956,875 books. That took me a little over a week to go through. Corcus' library has about sixteen million books." Matt replied in a practically robotic tone.

This caused a spit take from everyone listening.

"Si-Sixteen million?!" Macao got out after his coughing fit.

"Yup." He slouched back in his chair like a limp corpse. "Master, I'm gonna be gone for like… a month."

Makarov sighed before suddenly remembering something, "Well my boy, I certainly have no problem with you going out as long as it's for that reason. However I think I can give you a job while you're in Corcus too if you need a break before starting."

Matt raised an eyebrow, "What kind of job?"

"Oh a simple delivery one. I just need you to deliver a package to a friend currently over in the capital on business."

"Sounds easy enough." Matt shrugged at the idea. "Sure I'll take it, might as well have something to do besides read."

"Excellent, I'll have it for you momentarily." With that, Makarov went off to go get said package from upstairs in his office.

Sighing, Matt finished off his glass of water before preparing to head off to Corcus himself.

"Oh, there you are Little Buddy! Have I got a proposition for you!" Gildarts, who had been upstairs since walking into the guild a bit ago, walked over to Matt.

"Sorry Gildarts, I'm heading out for a few weeks." He addressed the S-Class dryly.

"Eh!? Where to?!" The mid-thirties man gaped, seeing his plan crumble before him.

"Corcus. I'll be there for maybe a month." Instead of furthur sending Gildarts into a depression, that just made him perk up.

The older man placed a hand to his chin in thought.

"Y'know Little Buddy, you and I haven't actually done anything together in the nearly five years you've been in this guild. How about I go with you! We can take the capital by storm!" Gildarts was like a child in a candy shop with his current expression. He draped an arm over Matt's shoulder and guided his eyes by slowly waving his arm across them as if Matt was seeing the same mental image he was.

"Gildarts I'll just be spending almost all day every day there reading." A dry response from the child that was dead on the inside.

"Bah, that doesn't mean anything! We can still have some fun together! In fact, I'm gonna go get ready now!" The manchild darted through the wall and towards his abode. Normally Matt would be pissed as he's the guy that fixes the holes in the wall, buuuut he was leaving so Master had to handle it.

The young Wizard sighed as he gazed over at Cana who looked dejected. That caused his heart to ache a bit, but hopefully she'll get the courage one day. Regardless, Matt went over to his room to get ready.

After packing the essentials, Matt took a look at himself in the mirror he recently got for his room. The past 5 years here had seen some growth. He was certainly taller, maybe around 5 feet now. Some faint muscle tone had set itself on his body due to his training and job. His dual-colored hair now covered his ears and the back of it came close to his shoulders. The blonde bangs had to be parted for him to see now.

His outfit had also changed a fair bit. A custom purple jacket was there to replace the hoodie that was tragically murdered almost 5 years ago. His shirt was now red and his pants black with white shoes. The old belt he wore was broken last year due to that Vector Bastard, Matt sometimes wondered how he was. In its place was a purple belt with silver buckle. And as usual, on Matt's left hip was his trusty deck box. He'd actually not had any additional Monsters add themselves to his deck the past year. Most likely due to the fact he'd been pretty inactive in combat.

With that done, Matt packed a bag of essentials. 'I should probably learn a little Requip, just for the hammer space.' Actually that thought had a domino effect. 'Y'know I heard Master say that Mages don't often learn more than one magic type due to being quasi-locked into it in order to have a primary magic mastered. However Duel Monsters aren't really a muscle I have to train. Sure I'm training my Magic Power's stamina and capacity, but outside of that, everything else about them is based on trust, tactics and my leadership abilities. Maybe I should learn a Caster Magic.'

For now, that was the kind of stuff for later thought. Once his packing was done, Makarov came in with the package.

"Now Yajima, a Councilman, should be at the Royal Ball in person later, so just give this to the guards and they'll handle the rest."

"Won't they be suspicious though? A kid handing them a random package for a Magic Council Member is a bit odd." Matt was a little uncertain of this plan holding any water.

"Ah, that's where the shipping label comes in. There's a special stamping insignia only official Guilds have. Only the Rune Knights and Royal Guard can verify it's legitimacy. So as long as you give it to them, they'll run it through checking." The old man recited that like he'd said it dozens of time before.

"Huh, that's actually pretty smart." Matt sounded genuinely impressed they had such a system in place.

Makarov puffed out his chest, "Of course even without it, Fairy Tail doesn't need such checks. After all who doesn't know of our guild."

The boy sighed, "Yes yes we're the greatest ever yadda yadda." Matt rolled his eyes. "Anyways I should get going. Hopefully I can avoid Gildarts."

"Oh? Why Gildarts?" His tone drew some suspicion from Matt.

"Because he said he wants to make the trip with me for some kind of bonding experience." Matt opted to ignore his suspicion for now as it didn't seem like anything major.

"I... see." Makarov tried to sound like he wasn't weirded out, but that failed. "Anyways, I wish you luck in your search!"

"Yeah, thanks Master." Matt smiled at the man. "By the way, have fun with that hole in the wall." He grinned as he exited his room and the guild in a run. Makarov's yelling at him to come back and fix it first being utterly ignored.

* * *

"You know you don't have to look so excited. It's just a simple trip. I'm gonna deliver this package to the guards later tonight and then I'll start going through the city library tomorrow onwards." Matt sighed as he walked through the streets of Corcus with Gildarts.

Unfortunately the older man had been waiting for him at the station, apparently his home wasn't too far from it. So it made the trip to said station easy even for him. Though they still had arrows in the ground for him to follow so he didn't use his magic on an entire train again.

It was still a problem the guild had to constantly pay for as Gildarts kept breaking the walls of any builds he walked through to get back to the guild. Makarov pulled out hairs trying to devise a means to fix that issue. Matt felt some pity for the old man and figured he'd lend a hand with some ideas once his trip here was done.

Especially since once upon a time, Makarov basically had a brain hemorrhage from said train incident based on Gildarts' account of blood seeping from every hole on the man's face when he heard about it. The nine year-old was still genuinely perplexed as to how a man with such awful spatial awareness was the strongest mage in the guild. Then Matt remembered who the man's competition would've been and realized why Fairy Tail was barely scraping the number ten spot for popular guilds in the country.

"Nonsense! Believe it or not, I actually haven't been to this city too much before."

That was definitely news to Matt.

"Really? I figured you'd know this country like the back of your hand." Matt was genuinely surprised by the fact Gildarts had scarcely been to the capital.

"Nah, after I hit S-Class I settled down for a bit and got married. Afterwards my jobs were mostly in far away villages or mountains. The kinds of places where bad stuff can roam about undisturbed."

"I see." Matt knew a bit more of Gildarts' old marriage from talking with Makarov as opposed to the vague details Gildarts gave. There's also the fact the product of it was Cana, a fact he'd come to believe even furthur after spending more time with both of them.

"Well we should find an Inn first." Matt stated as he looked around for any place that could work as a cheap home for a bit.

"Ah, now that I got covered. There's a good place about a block from town square." The man confidently spoke to the younger mage.

Matt was taken aback, Gildarts actually knew a decent establishment that wasn't about women. He was actually kinda proud-

"The Barmaid's there are really cute!" He had hearts in his eyes as he turned to Matt.

Aaaand that feeling was immediately beaten, stabbed and then burnt to death.

"It's gonna be a lo~ng trip." Matt resigned himself to his fate for trying to get home.

"Damn straight Little Buddy!" Gildarts laughed loudly as they marched towards their temporary home.

* * *

Later that night, Matt was walking towards the castle. The place was actually really impressive. He'd seen images of castles back home before, but this thing was ridiculous in comparison. From the size, architecture and feeling it gave off, the entire castle was like the cherry on top of an already nice city. Matt had to wonder just what the place used to be like a hundred years ago.

After walking a bit, he came across a pair of guards at the gate.

"Uh, hi there." Matt greeted them. "I'm here to deliver a package to," he gazed at the package, "Mr. Yajima. I was told all you had to do was examine the shipping label and everything would be good." He tried to hide the nervousness he felt dealing with armed guards.

The guards looked at each other before looking at Matt.

"I mean sure, that's how it used to be done. Here, show me your emblem." The one closest to the boy spoke.

Matt titled his head, but shrugged and rolled up his right jacket sleeve to reveal the purple mark on his arm. The guard pulled out a small stamp-like device and placed it on the mark. He stared intently at the handle, and after a moment, all tension left his body.

"Alright, you're free to go. Just ask a guard to escort you to Mr. Yajima." He pocketed the item.

Taken aback, Matt uttered the first thing that came to mind, "That's it?"

The guards clearly found amusement in his face.

"That device we used on you lets us scan your Guild Stamp. Every official Guild Stamp has a special magic frequency only the producers of the stamper know about. Thus, we use this to find that frequency to see if you're a legal Wizard or not."

"Huh. That's way more simple than scanning a package." Matt pondered why Makarov didn't know about this system.

"Yeah, we haven't used that method in ages according to the Captain. Anyways you should probably get your business done quickly."

The Fairy Tail mage nodded before stopping.

"Wait you're also just gonna let me through? This is the King's castle ain't it?"

A guard snickered, "Kid, no disrespect, but you don't exactly look or feel like an assassin or terrorist. We're trained ridiculously hard to see those things in people. And you don't give off even a remote match for any of the signs."

Matt was surprised they trained guards for that sort of thing, but it was a different world so anything goes.

"I see." He awkwardly stood in place for a bit, "Welp. I better get going."

They nodded as Matt passed through them. He continued on to the main entrance gate where the two guards nodded at him as he passed. Once inside it was quite simply gorgeous. The floors of marble were so clean he could see his own reflection in them. Gorgeous paintings bigger than Matt lined the walls along with cloth banners that seemed more expensive than Fairy Tail's GDP. The massive chandelier above was honestly really pretty and brought the elegant feel to the room together.

He shook his head trying to pull himself together. Matt found the nearest guard and approached.

"Excuse me, sir. I'm delivering a package to Mr. Yajima. Do you happen to know where he is?"

The guard simply nodded and gestured over to a man about Makarov's height. After exchanging a thank you, Matt approached the old man.

"Mr. Yajima?"

The man turned his way. "Yes?"

"I'm with Fairy Tail. Master told me to deliver this to you while I was in town." Matt handed the man his package.

He gazed at the package and shook it by his ear before nodding. "Ah, this thing. Tell Makky I said thanks. Who are you by the way?"

"I'm Matthew sir, but everyone calls me Matt." He lightly bowed to the man.

Yajima smiled, "I'm glad he finally got someone with some manners. Heaven knows that man lacked them in his youth."

Scratching the back of his head and nervously laughing, Matt muttered out a "no kidding" that wasn't audible.

Though that stopped when he realized what the man just said.

"Wait, you knew Master when he was younger?"

Yajima chortled, "Oh boy did I ever. We were part of the same team in Fairy Tail after all."

"You and him were on a team? Seems like a recipe for disaster…" Matt tried to picture a younger Makarov smashing buildings with his magic while a younger Yajima was stuck atop a massive tower screaming for help. Though why Yajima was wearing a dress and Makarov was in a Gorilla outfit stumped him.

"Not quite like that young man." Yajima had a comical sweat drop behind his head from Matt's imagination. "It was more than Makky and I. Porlyusica was there too."

Matt squatted down and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I am so sorry for your wasted youth." He had crocodile tears in the corners of his eyes from pity.

"It wasn't like that damnit!" He chided the boy before continuing. "We also had Goldmine, Rob and Bob there too. You should know Goldmine and Bob as masters of Quatro Cerberus and Blue Pegasus respectively."

Yajima looked at the boy who was as stiff as a corpse.

"Uh, Matt? Hello?"

At Blue Pegasus' Guild a few months ago

Matt sighed as he approached the guild.

"Finally made it. Hopefully these guys will be as laid back as Quatro Cerberus was. Though that motto of theirs could still use some work, "BEASTLY" ain't exactly rolling off the tongue or going on shirts."

He opened the door only to be assaulted by the nauseating aroma of perfume and cologne. The boy immediately covered his nose as tears welled up from his eyes stinging. Matt tried very hard to not cough out his lungs.

"Oh Ichiya, what did I tell you about practicing your magic indoors?" A large man in women's clothes chided someone that Matt stared at like he was an alien.

'What. The fuck. Is that?' Matt's eye twitched as he saw a young man with short orange hair and in a white suit coughing. The part that stunned Matt was the man's face. 'WHY IS MACHO SQUIDWARD HERE?!' He mentally cried in shock and abject horror.

"Hm?" The cross-dressing man turned to see Matt. "Oh! You must be the one Makarov told me about!" He was in front of the boy in the blink of an eye.

Matt blinked a few times at the man and nodded slowly after looking him over.

"Well aren't you just as cute as a gumdrop button!" He ogled the boy while swinging his hips side-to-side.

"Master, I need to go out and purchase some more supplies for my Perfume." Macho Squidward spoke as he approached them, placing odd emphasis on that last word.

"Hm? Oh yes Ichiya, feel free to do so." Bob waved him off.

Ichiya looked at Matt and… sniffed him.

"What an interesting perfume. You shall grow to be quite a distinct man." He gave the boy finger guns and a wink before exiting. Matt could feel his watery tears transform into tears of blood.

"Now then, you must be famished after such a long trip! Let me get you something for your tummy!"

After this Matt's subconscious repressed the rest of the stay.

"Matt? Hello?" Yajima was starting to get concerned.

Suddenly the boy shook his head. "Yeah? What's up?" He acted and spoke like the past four minutes didn't just happen.

"N-nothing." Yajima decided to keep the fact he was a nervously sweating statue to himself

Matt nodded and stretched a bit, he was oddly stiff for some reason. He then looked around and realized just how out of place he was. Especially when it came to his clothing compared to everyone else present.

"I should get going now, I wasn't even invited here anyways." He bowed to Yajima one last time.

The old man simply nodded and nervously smiled as Matt began to leave.

"Polite, but quite peculiar." The old man nodded before smiling. "He unquestionably fits right in."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have you attention please!" A guard proudly and loudly addressed the crowd. Everyone turned their full attention to him and ceased any conversation.

"Introducing his Highness, King Fiore and his daughter, Princess Hisui Fiore!" The guard gestured his arm to the stairs.

Everyone clapped as the King, holding his infant daughter, walked out. He smiled widely both at the crowd and at his daughter. However the Princess didn't seem to care too much about the attention judging by her silence.

Matt smiled as he gazed at the two and then continued to leave. Before he could, suddenly the lights went out and a loud scream reverberated through the building. When the lights turned back on, the King and Princess were both missing and the nearby guards were dead.

Everyone present screamed in shock as all the remaining guards scrambled around for answers as to what just happened.

From the corner of his eye, Matt saw the shadows of multiple figures moving fast. Wordlessly he began to give chase to them through the yard of the castle.

'Geez these guys are quick!' Matt ran as fast as his smaller legs could carry him through the twists and turns of the yard.

The figures dashed out past the maze in the back of the garden as Matt clicked his tongue and stopped running.

"C'mon Baby Dragon!" He threw out a card that summoned a small, orange dragon.

Just as he hopped on to give chase, he felt his wrist get grabbed.

"Halt!"

Matt turned his head to see a young guard glaring at him.

"You idiot, you're letting them get away!" Matt tried to reason with the guard to no avail.

"I don't know who you are, but you sure don't look like a guest." The man glared at Matt.

"Damnit I don't have time for this!" Matt was about to kick him away when assistance arrived.

"Let him go young man, he has no role in what transpired earlier."

The duo turned to see a familiar old man to them both.

"Councilman Yajima? Why do you say that?!" He demanded of the old man.

"Simple, he's one of Makky's kids." The small man quickly replied.

His blunt statement surprised both the guard and Matt.

"I don't mean to be rude, but is that all you have?" The guard asked in an almost pleading tone for a better reason.

"It's all I need." The quick and concise reply made the guard relent and let go.

Matt sighed, "Look, maybe you can help me alright. How well do you know the city?"

The guard looked over to him, "Better than anyone else." Based on the confidence his voice exuded, Matt believed him.

"Then hop on, you'll be the navigator."

The guard hesitated for a moment, but relented and got on the Dragon.

"Mr. Yajima, please inform whoever is in charge that a wizard and guard are in pursuit of the kidnappers!" Matt said as he ordered Baby Dragon to take off. The guard desperately clinging to Matt and Screaming.

"Heh. Lightweight." Matt rolled his eyes as he scanned the city for anything odd. "By the way I never got your name."

"It's Arcadios. How about you?" The man finally stopped screaming and joined the boy in searching below. Though his iron-grip around Matt and shaking body told another story.

"Matthew, but everyone calls me Matt." The duo looked around the city from up high. "Well Mr. I-Know-This-City-Better-Than-Anyone, see anything unnatural at this hour?"

Arcadios was silent before he noticed a trio of carriages speeding away.

"Those carriages!" He pointed at the hat trick of vehicles. "That district of the city doesn't have any carriage routes from the Royal Family or traders!"

"Huh. You really are good." Matt said slightly impressed. "Alright then, hang on!" The dragon dove down towards the carriages, with Arcadios screaming the entire way.

* * *

Gildarts walked into a Rune Knight building, nodding at the guards by the doors. He opened them to reveal quite a nice building that befit the group labeled as the Dogs of the Council. White walls and shiny floors, decent furniture made of above-average quality material also an odd smell of Vanilla in the building.

"Ah, you must be Gildarts." A Rune Knight approached the man and extended his hand. "I am Captain Sarutobi." The man was surprisingly tall, Gildarts only coming up to his shoulders. He was also built like a metal fortress, those robes hiding what must've been an insane physique. Sarutobi also had slightly tan skin and short black hair to complement his light blue eyes.

Gildarts returned the gesture and got straight to the point. "So do we have any idea on what these guys are planning?"

The Captain sighed and motioned for Gildarts to follow him. They walked past numerous offices and rooms of people running around in a hurry.

"Unfortunately we haven't the faintest idea. Our intelligence officer barely got out that Wicker Man was planning something before dying from his wounds." The man sounded frustrated for understandable reasons.

"Just how dangerous is this Dark Guild?" Gildarts raised a brow. The only kinds of Dark Guilds that got this treatment were from the two guilds in the Balam Alliance.

The pair walked into what seemed to be a large room with dozens of Rune Knights scrambling around. Their conversations becoming white noise to the pair of older men.

"It's less so the members of the group and moreso their Master. He possesses incredible regeneration magic on top of superhuman strength. Nearly impossible to kill to the bastard unless you hit him with something absurdly powerful."

Gildarts confidently smirked and pointed at himself, "Well you got your absurdly powerful guy right here."

Sarutobi looked at the man and sighed. "Let's just hope you aren't all hot air."

"Hey!"

* * *

Matt finally caught sight of two figures on the driver seat of the set. "We got two up top for all three! Probably another one to three inside each one!"

"Got it! How are we doing this?" The Knight glared at the carriages.

The mage smirked before pulling out a trio of cards, "Like this! Celtic Guardian, Gearfried and Summoned Skull, give our friends a warm welcome!"

Normally this would be rather strenuous with four monsters out, however thanks to his pure-magic power training, this wasn't that bad for Matt.

Celtic Guardian and Gearfried landed atop two carriages and surprised the drivers. One of which from each took the reigns from the other and began fighting the Monsters on the roof of the speeding wooden vehicles.

Summoned Skull flew above the third and rained down lightning on the two drivers. They pulled evasive maneuvers and split from the other Carriages.

The one with Gearfried also split off down another road, leaving Matt and Arcadios with the one Celtic Guardian was handling.

"What now?! They all split off and we don't know which one has the King and Princess!" Arcadios cursed as he tried to figure out which one had the captives.

"Calm down, my Monsters will signal us as to whether or not they found our duo." Matt gazed in the direction of Summoned Skull who shot red lightning into the air.

'Not that one then. Which means this is 50/50 now.' Matt thought as he pulled his attention over to where Gearfried was.

The feeling of flared magic was sensed by Matt.

'He's not turning it on and off to signal me he got it right.' The boy smirked as he gazed down.

"This is the right one!"

"You sure?" Arcadios raised a brow at the boy's certain tone.

"Absolutely." He reaffirmed the man who nodded with a determined expression. "Now then, you have any idea who these guys are?" Matt asked as he tried to figure out a plan to stop the carriage as safely as possible.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it's the Dark Guild Wicker Man!"

'That Dark Guild is known for taking dirty jobs like Assassination and Kidnapping. So the goals line up at least.' Matt thought as he eyed the road the Carriage was on now.

"What makes you so sure?" He asked Arcadios to be absolutely sure.

"Easy, they're the only ones stupid enough to try and attack the Royal Family." Arcadios said with a smirk.

Shrugging his shoulders, Matt observed how Celtic Guardian was having a hard time fighting in such an enclosed space.

"Tch. In that case, let's try something else. Arcadios!"

"Yeah?"

The boy slowly turned towards him.

"How good are you at falling?" Matt asked with a devilish grin.

"Uhhhh." The brain of the knight tried to process what the smaller man in front of him just said.

"Too late!" Matt grabbed onto Baby Dragon and they went above the carriage. The Dragon then did and Aileron Roll and Arcadios fell directly onto the Mage fighting Celtic Guardian.

The Monster was stunned for a moment, but saw Matt's plan and smirked.

"You almost killed me you Devil Child!" Arcadios shouted as he got up.

"Can't hear you!"

The knight growled, but realized he'd just eliminated one of the captors and smirked. The only other one was currently driving the carriage. He turned to the Celtic Guardian.

"Can you drive a carriage?"

Wordlessly, Celtic Guardian kicked the driver off the seat and to the ground before grabbing the reigns.

"Good, that's secure now." Matt smirked over his plan working. Well it didn't matter if Arcadios or Celtic Guardian took the reigns. Securing the Carriage is all that mattered.

Arcadios leaned over the edge and held onto it as he opened the door and swooped in. A fight ensued that resulted in two things: first, Arcadios being thrown out the door as he held the King. Secondly, the sole remaining captor with the Princess running off.

"Get the Princess!" Arcadios shouted at Matt who gave chase atop his Dragon.

* * *

"Sir!" A man ran into the room urgently.

"What is it?" Sarutobi looked at the man.

"We've been informed that the King and Princess have been kidnapped!"

Sarutobi and Gildarts looked at him with clear shock. The captain slammed his fist into a table.

"So that's what they were planning. Damn!"

"This is not time for getting mad." Gidlarts reminded the man. "We need to rescue those two!"

Sarutobi exhaled, "You're right." He straightened up. "I want any available Rune Knights to form a perimeter around the city! Coordinate with the Royal Guard and Military if you must! No one gets in or out!"

"""Sir!""" The present Rune Knights saluted the man and ran off to get the plan started.

"That won't be enough." Gildarts informed the man.

"I know. But its all we can do on such short notice." Sarutobi sighed and sat down. "Our only hope is someone stopping them beforehand or one of their members getting captured by us."

'Please don't do anything reckless Matt.' Gildarts gazed out the nearby window to the castle.

* * *

The last guy was fast, but having a bird's eye view made chasing him easy. When he disappeared into a large warehouse, the duo descended to the entrance.

Matt scowled as he looked at the large partly open door. The only thing letting him know the Princess was there being her crying.

Baby Dragon returned to card form as Matt cautiously entered the building after oddly messing with his jacket. He stuck to the wall as to avoid ambush, but made sure to keep his sides and top checked constantly.

Eventually the cries ceased as he walked through the dimly lit building. Though not in the fade away sense, but in the suddenly stop kind.

'They wouldn't have killed her would they?' He scowled at the barely visible area ahead. 'Are they trying to bait me out by making me think they did?' Matt's fists clenched. 'Bastards are cold-blooded that's for sure.'

His thoughts were interrupted as the door to the warehouse was closed shut. The sound reverberated well in the stone construct.

'So they intend to lock me in eh? Well that just makes it easier for me.' He smirked as he slowly kept walking. 'Shame I can't just start having my Monsters blast everything to dust, need to secure the Princess first.'

After another moment of silently walking, he finally came across a slightly ajar door. The boy scowled at the sight and drew his knife. With one last check, he kicked the door down and entered. However his senses immediately told him someone was behind him, so he stomped down behind himself a bit with his foot.

"Gah!" An invisible voice cried out. Matt then spun and swung the knife to try and wound the attacker, but his wrist was caught. "Just kiddin'." The invisible voice spoke with a clear smirk.

Since Matt couldnt see which side was what with the invisble oppent, it was no surprise when an unbelievably strong fist made an indentation into his solar plexus, causing the boy to fall to his knees. Bile being expelled from his mouth as he clutched the wounded area.

"Now that's just gross." Mr. Invisible commented on the hunched over child's current problem. "Well, time for a nap kid." He kicked the boy square in the jaw, knocking him back to the ground.

His vision was blurry as the invisible figure undid his magic, revealing a smirking teen.

"Wow, you're either a glutton for punishment or more durable than I gave you credit for." The teen spoke in a mocking tone as he stood and raised his foot. "The boss is gonna love you."

After those words, Matt's world went black as the teen stopped his head against the hard ground.

About an hour later, a large force of Rune Knights stormed the Warehouse only to find no one inside. Save one knife and a deck box on the ground in the back. Captain Sarutobi picked up the knife and deck box.

"Did he have these on him?" Sarutobi turned to Arcadios who looked at it and nodded.

"Damn. Looks like he got taken along with the Princess." The middle aged man cursed. "See if there's any traces of Magic on these." Sarutobi handed them to an officer who responded with a "Sir!" and ran off.

"And you make sure our captives start talking, conventions of human rights be damned." Another man nodded and ran off, not even questioning the cruelty of the order.

Sarutobi gazed at the spot on the ground and sighed. "Poor kid, doesn't even know what hell he just got himself involved with. Hopefully we can find him before they kill him."

Arcadios swallowed harshly at the man's words, Matt was just a child. Hope was all he had right now.

Unbeknownst to them another man was watching from up above with shadows covering his eyes. An aura of tranquil fury surrounded him.

**Welcome back my magnificent readers!**

**So it looks like our main character has found himself in quite the pickle this time. As to whether or not he'll make it out in one piece, just wait for the next chapter.**

**Also this chapter we got a few more familiar faces! I figured this would be a nice way to show a younger Arcadios and Hisui before the whole Eclipse Project. Rest assured we will see them again after the next chapter and before Tenrou. Whatever year I actually get to that arc...**

**Just as a heads up, next chapter will be pretty heavy with dark imagery and the like. However it's also gonna be a pretty important chapter for Matt so I urge you to push past it and read.** **Don't worry, we aren't gonna get real dark again for a while after it.**

**With all that said and done, I leave you all with something a bit more on the positive side! See you all next time!**

**Omake: **When you wish upon a star... (canon)

Matt laid on the roof of the guild and gazed up to tthe stars. He opted to do this after talking to the girl in the crystal again.

"Wow. They're even exactly the same..."

He was bewildered by how there was absolutely no difference between this sky and the one he used to know.

A soft glow came from the deck box on his hip.

"Hey there Master! What'cha doin'?" Dark Magician Girl smiled at the boy.

"Star gazing."

She looked up to the vast sky.

"Wooow." The Spirit spoke in awe. "There's so many!"

"Yup. More stars up there than grains of sand on all the beaches."

"Really?! That's incredible!" She smiled and lied next to the boy as they watched the majesty of the heavens.

"Hey Master."

"Hm?"

"What's that star doing?" She pointed at a traveling light in the sky.

"That's a shooting star. People say if you see one, you should make a wish on it."

"Then you should absolutely do that!" The girl encouraged him with stars in her eyes.

"Huh? Why though? Don't you wanna stick around here as long as possible?" He questioned her.

"I mean, sure. This world has so many interesting things about it! Like Magic, Fashion, Culture, Landmarks." She smiled and started listing off things she liked, a tick mark of annoyance grew on Matt's head as she went on.

"But I think your happiness is more important." She smiled warmly at him.

He gazed at her in surprise.

"Sure you're gonna have to say farewell one day, but maybe you could find a way to have both!"

Matt scoffed, "That's impossible."

She pouted at the boy. "But isn't that what wishes are for? Making the impossible possible?"

His gazed lingered on her momentarily before it turned back to the shooting star.

'Make the impossible possible huh?' He thought as he observed the natural occurrence.

The flying line of light drew across the sky.

'Well, I guess this situation is impossible enough to be in to begin with.'

Matt gave a small smile with his eyes closed and raised his arm. Making a silent wish to unite his family and this world to the thin thread of hope that star represents.

The spirit smiled at him and laid back down next to the boy as they continued to gaze at the heavens.

Perhaps he will find a way to satisfy everyone. After all, what's the point of a dream if you ain't reaching for the stars?


	5. The Broken Epiphany

**Hello one and all and welcome back to another chapter!**

**Now I've opted to put my notes at the start of this chapter as I feel the end of it should stand uninterrupted** **for reasons you'll obviously see at the end of it.**

**This chapter marks the end of this little two chapter arc in the story. Future major arcs will be much longer than this rest assured. Our first major arc will hit at Chapter 10 and that will definitely be a very experimental arc for me, so look forward to that.** **One other arc down the line before canon will definitely be VERY different to what I think anyone has seen from fics of this series, so I'm definitely ready to start writing that down the line.**

**This chapter in particular also has me experimenting a bit with my writing style, seeing if I can pull off some things or not. It's definitely got me anxious to see how people will respond, so I eagerly (read terrifyingly), await feedback.**

**Bar none, this is the chapter I am the most nervous to put out. Not really for the subject matter it tackles, but moreso in the overall pacing of things on top of the aforementioned experimentation. One side of me thinks its far too soon for something like this while another part of me is thinking this will allow me more material to work with much sooner. It's clear which side won the argument in the end, but I'm still very nervous** **like any new writer would be.**

**I wanted to use these two chapters to explore a different side to the idea of an "Iseaki" SI/OC. Not many I've seen have the innate desire to return home, let alone legitimate fears and guilt over leaving their new one. So I basically took these very human fears and concerns then stuffed them into the bundle of trauma that is Matt.**

**This fic in general is kinda just me messing around with the ideas of what friendship and family truly mean to someone that cares for multiple sets of them, but ultimately can only keep one. Especially since those two ideas are basically the main theme of Fairy Tail. So I'm essentially walking a tightrope of sticking to the heart of the series and trying not to betray it and go way off the rails.**

**I'm certainly willing to take the risk, but who knows if I'll succeed or fail. Time and all of you will be the ultimate judge of that I suppose.**

**Regardless, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and tune back in for more! Until next time!**

"Uggh." Matt groaned as he awoke.

'What the hell happened?' His gut and jaw hurt like like hell right now. 'Oh that's right, that Invisible Asshole hit me really hard. Gonna have to get him back for that.' Matt soon realized he was tied up to a chair. His arms had been restrained rather well behind him with rope. He didn't feel his Deck Box on his hip nor his knife, so they probably either have those somewhere wherever he is, or they're back at the warehouse.

He heard the faint cries of the princess in the background. In fact he took in his surroundings for the first time and… it doesn't bode well. Dried blood stained the floor and walls, hell even a few skeletons were attached to chains still. Likely starved to death. It was like something out of a Medieval movie. Complete with the smell of rotting death too.

'Oh goodie, a group of psychos makes up this Dark Guild. Explains the "stupid enough to go for the Royal Family" bit.' Thankfully Matt noticed they hadn't taken his jacket or even tampered with it. His positive note was short lived as the door opened.

"Well well well. Looks like the Little Shit woke up." A man with a bald head and disheveled beard spoke up. Matt assumed this guy was the boss. Mostly because he has the look down. Militaristic/Overly Fashioned clothes, massive build, thuggish face, look in his eye that told everyone he was superior. All that was missing was a cat for him to menacingly pet and a pool of sharks… with lasers... that swam in a pool of lava.

"Hello~" A young man of about 17 or 18 spoke up behind the boss. He wore all black clothing like everyone else in this guild judging by the kidnappers and had dark blue hair.

'That voice and face. So he's the Invisible Bastard eh?' Matt raised an eyebrow at the man he finally got a good look at.

"Well seeing as you're the brat responsible for making sure our little stunt only half paid off, I'm thinking I'll start by breakin' half your ribs first."

Before Matt could even acknowledge what was happening, a boot fiercely collided with his chest. Kicking the wind out of him and making him fall to the ground. The large man then proceeded to stomp on the right side of Matt's chest without mercy. Over and over and over again he brought his boot down on the boys ribcage until several sickening sounds resembling pops came from his chest.

Matt couldn't even scream in pain as his right lung felt like it was gonna collapse. He began coughing so violently, blood started to mix with saliva as it leaked around the sides of his mouth.

After another few stomps for good measure, the boss finally stopped. "Jerry, pick em' up." He ordered without any emotion.

"Right away!" The young man got behind Matt and lifted his chair back upright.

"Just so you know, I'm not the only one with a bone to pick with you kid." He grabbed Matt's hair roughly to look him in the eye. "All my boys are pretty pissed at you, so if they happen to mosey on down here and teach you a lesson? Pay em' no mind." A light couple of slaps to the boys cheek came from the man's giant hand as the boss maliciously smiled at him.

The young mage was still breathing unsteadily when the pair closed the door and left him there. It took another hour, but he finally got back to normal breathing. Though he was still in pretty significant pain.

'Shit! If my guess is right, the next time he does it himself, that probably means half my limbs! Which means I'm on a hell of a timer to get out.' He groaned in pain as his chest cried out in agony. 'Calm down Matt. Calm people live. Calm people live. Calm. People. Live.' He timed his breaths with his thought mantra and got himself under control.

He then tested his bindings to find them significantly loosened. 'If I try hard enough I could get them off right now. Magic Power-wise, I'm capped off again. Which means I was out for a fair bit.' As the pieces came together, so too did a plan. 'I'd need to wait a bit, but maybe it could work.' Matt steeled himself for the coming days.

And just as the man had said, almost every hour one man or a group of them came in and roughed up the boy. This ranged from beatings, verbal humiliations and Matt even thinks one drunk guy pissed on him.

He was gonna enjoy revenge.

* * *

In the Rune Knight building's basement, a captured member of Wicker Man was going through some old-school interrogation.

The man in charge of this all walked out of the room with a sigh and removed an apron draped with blood spots.

"Well? Anything?" Gildarts who sat at a nearby table asked Sarutobi.

"Unfortunately he's more loyal than he looks. Doesn't look like he'll give anything up." Sarutobi sighed and removed the rubber gloves he had on. "Same for all the others, but I'm willing to bet the death sentence is better to them than whatever that bastard would do to them."

"How about the carriage then?"

The Captain shook his head. "Stolen from within the city. Can't trace it back from tracks on the dirt roads."

Sarutobi sat down after removing the clothes he placed over his uniform to avoid stains.

"Our only hope is our Archive users finding Matthew via traces of his Magic Power."

Gildarts quickly stood and punched the wall. "Is that all?! How can you bastards have so much but be so useless?!" He roared at the Captain.

"I understand you're worried for a fellow guild mate, but getting angry won't solve anything. Neither will heading out to a place I specifically told you not to come to." The man chided the S-Class.

Gildarts flinched slightly, he'd went to the warehouse even after Sarutobi told him to stay here in case anything else popped up.

"Then... what should I do?" He demanded an answer from the man.

Sarutobi sighed and pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a deep hit before answering. A bad habit he picked up from an old friend.

"The same any of us can do: wait and hope."

* * *

Three days passed since the boss had personally punished Matt, now it was time for another round. Currently the same duo as the last time made their way down to the basement of their headquarters.

"So Boss, what'll it be next?" Jerry asked with the curiosity of a child.

"His legs." The bald man's reply was quick, dry, and to the point.

"Oooh~ I always love the way they look bent backwards! Like a Dinosaur!" The teen squeed in delight.

The pair approached the cell and opened it. As they expected, their prisoner wasn't looking too hot. Roughly three days without food or water on top of half a busted rib cage and the rest of the guild taking out their frustrations on said person. On a man that already made him look like shit. For a kid though? Like a whole other world.

Matt's eyes had sunken in to a noticable degree and his skin was pretty pale. On top of that his breathing was rough and forced. Dried blood coated his mouth, nose and various parts of his face along with plenty of visible bruising. Even a few fingernails had been ripped off by the more... _expressive_ artists of the guild.

"I'm taking your legs next kid." The Boss stated as he began to approach the boy. He didn't even bother responding or looking at him, acting like the dead man he already felt like.

However, before anything could be done, a large explosion rang out behind them. The shockwave of it rattled some of the doors even down where they were.

"Go check it out!" The boss ordered Jerry who quickly went back up to check in things. He sighed in frustration and turned to Matt.

"Anyways, time for your-" his words were cut off when not only had the kid escaped his bindings, but he was now strangling the man with said bindings too. He tried to pry the rope off, however Matt's small size allowed him to leverage himself by using the big bastards back as a place to place his feet.

The large man tried hitting behind himself, however, Matt with an adrenaline burst was dodging anything that even came close to him. He tried smashing the boy into the wall. Unfortunately this backfired due to an underutilized fact that wherever the head goes, the body follows.

Matt put specific pressure on the rope and man's body, causing his head to smash into the walls hard enough to indent the stone. After about twenty rounds of this, the man's head was covered in his own blood.

The Boss tried everything in his power to escape, but eventually he gave out and fainted. Colliding head-first into the ground and making a noise that would cause anyone to wince. Unfortunately for him, Matt could care less right now.

Matt was panting for air as the bastard fell unconscious to the floor. As he caught his breath, another large explosion went off.

'Good, Dark Magician is doing his role.' Matt was thankful he kept his loyal companion in a hidden slot on his jacket before entering that warehouse. A seven star monster drained him pretty quickly in intense combat, hence why he wanted to make absolutely sure his magic reserves were as full as they could be before he tried this. The drain depended on the star level of the monster, as the minimum requirement to summon one is having an equal or greater magic power quantity. If Matt used sacrifices for anything above four stars, the drain was far less significant. Anything below seven stars wasn't major for Matt to use by themselves, however a massive jump in the needed Magic Power occured after six stars.

Shakily standing, Matt followed the familiar cries of the infant down the dungeon. He walked through many halls lined with old wooden doors. They likely housed many corpses based on the awful smell. After a few agonizing minutes of walking, Matt made it to the room the Princess was kept in if her cries told him anything. He looked through the bottom of the door.

'Two guards, wait, that chair is leaning on two legs, make it three. They were probably ordered strictly to not leave the room unless told otherwise.' Matt clicked his tongue. 'Guess the ol' bait and remove strategy is what I'll have to go with.' He gazed at himself quickly. 'Need to make it quick too. My body won't hold out in an intense fight.'

He'd waited the few days to make sure everyone in the guild was here before striking to make sure his escape would have no problems after dealing with them. Also he waited to make sure he could personally take care of their Master. If Matt was anything, he was a man that savored revenge in all its various forms.

It also helped the guards that took out their anger on him blabbed and told Matt his deck box and knife were back in the city. This meant he could just execute a much simpler plan with far less searching.

"Ugh, will _someone_ please get that brat to shut it?" The guard leaning on the chair exasperated. Hisui had been crying almost every chance she got and as loud as her lungs could muster.

"Quiet down, the boss will literally kill you if you keep talking like that." Dumber by the door chastised him.

"You gotta admit though, this is a bit ridiculous." Tweetledumbest finished the trio off in the back.

Before anyone could continue this thrilling talk, a knocking sound made then shut up. The last guard opened the door only to see nothing. That is until the feeling of agonizing pain over having his balls punched took over. He keeled over pretty quickly as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"The hell?!" The chair guard ran over and saw Matt run off. "Get back here you shit!" Then he proceeded to give chase. As quickly as he saw him, the guard lost him. Though that was the point as the door in front of him slammed open into his face and knocked him down, also breaking his nose in the process if the massive spot of red on his face was any indication.

Matt immediately got on top of him and began to rain a flurry of punches on the weak spots of the jaw in order to knock him out.

'Guess all that reading did come in handy.' Matt thought as the guard was out like a light. The boy had underestimated his own strength though as he saw pieces of broken teeth around the ground. Matt blinked momentarily and gazed at his hands and nodded in satisfaction.

He then looked back to the broken bone parts as a devilish grin made itself way on his face. A good plan formed to deal with the last guard.

The final guard nervously watched the door. Even Hisui had stopped crying due to the eerie silence that had overtaken the dunegon of the guild. That is until the helmet of the guard that went after him was flung into the room. It made an odd rattling noise as it hit the floor. He slowly walked over and peered into it, only to see tons of teeth inside the helmet.

"Oh fuck this!" They then ran away, preferring consciousness and being in one piece over whatever pain potentially awaited him.

"Smart man." Matt praised him as he entered the room. The princess was currently laid down on a dirty bed while still wrapped in the blanket she was originally in. Thankfully they at least changed her diapers or whatever the hell they used here. He'd never bothered to actually learn that.

The boy grabbed her and lifted the baby into his arms. Her crying which had started again immediately ceased. She stared at Matt curiously before laughing at him and raising his arms at him.

"What? Is it because I'm ugly or the dual colored hair? Because I don't get that detail myself." Her giggle caused him to sigh. "Well whatever, just keep the noise on the down low okay? Don't wanna get into a fight now." A gurgle of acknowledgement was the best Matt got from her as he made his way out of the dungeon.

* * *

The noises of fighting became louder the closer Matt and Hisui got to the exit.

'Dark Magician is raising hell in there. Guess he's upset.' The Monster had been very concerned over Matt's health when he broke free and summoned him. However that worry could wait until they were safe.

'For now I need to get her to safety.' As he glanced at the infant he could tell she wasn't doing too hot either. Likely from subpar food, milk and a lack of good sleep. She was a bit paler than what she should look like.

As he approached the steps leading upstairs, a body came crashing through the door atop said stairs. Matt observed and saw they were unconscious before pressing onwards. Keeping silent as he slowly poked his head in to see the action.

The building resembled an old western bar with wooden everything, taxidermy animals, mounted heads, and even a piano off to the side. Said piano was currently housing someone that was smashed into the top of it head-first.

Most of the tables were broken along with the chairs, no fires had started, but the majority of the alcohol was currently on the floor surrounded by shattered glass and bodies. A small handful of the guild remained to face Dark Magician.

'Where are you ya Invisible Bastard?' Matt scanned the room for a familiar tuft of blue hair and came up empty.

However, given Jerry's magic, he was probably waiting to strike since Matt couldn't identify the teen in the mess.

Matt began to think up a plan as Dark Magician continued to assault the Dark Guild. When a barely conscious person landed nearby, Matt dragged him to the bottom of the steps in order to get some information.

"Alright you fothermucker, you're gonna tell me a few things I wanna know." Matt scowled at the man who weakly laughed.

"Yeah right kid, what are you gonna do? Call mommy on me?" He snickered at the boy.

Sighing, Matt grabbed Hisui who he had gently placed on the ground before grabbing his hostage.

"I mean, I am the mommy in this scenario, and I got a baby with a loaded diaper I'm not afraid to use. Careful, she's a wild one." The Princess gurgled menacingly at the Mage.

His threat made the man stare at him with a dead expression. Matt placed Hisui down before continuing.

"Alright, fine, tell me or you'll definitely never know the joy of having babies when I'm done with you." Matt sighed as he grabbed a large jagged rock and gestured to the man's family jewels with a stabbing motion.

That seemed to get his attention, "Whoa there! Alright kid sheesh. What do you wanna know."

"How far are we from Corcus?"

"About three miles north in the Dark Woods."

"How many people are in the guild and how many are present tonight?"

"Unfortunately for us no backup is coming, discounting the seven guys the Rune Knights grabbed, all 24 of us were here tonight." He bitterly chortled at Matt.

Matt gazed at him closely before realizing something after listening to him.

"You're that guy that pissed on me!" He yelled at him in recognition.

"Wha-"

Without even a second of hesitation, Matt made sure the gene pool lost a man capable of spreading his own today. The dark mage slumped down the wall unconscious and with an expression of pure agony. Matt turned to the Princess who was clapping with a giggle.

"Oh goodie, she enjoys hyper violence. Kingdom was a grea~t future ahead of itself." The boy rolled his eyes and tossed the rock before picking up the Princess and heading back up. Dark Magician had just dealt with the remaining members.

"Hey there." Matt greeted his Monster who smiled in turn. He was pretty banged up, but still going strong.

"Good to see you're in capable health Master." The spirit smiled at Matt who grimaced.

"Still gotta work on finding a better name than Master. It's especially awkward when Dark Magician Girl does it…" Having an attractive late teens girl call a 9 year-old master was kinda odd to say the least. "Anways, here, take her and head south to the city." Matt handed Dark Magician the Princess, the spirit looked at him in confusion.

"Aren't you coming with us?"

"Nope." Matt popped the end of it as he walked over and grabbed a bottle of alcohol with a little of its contents left. "I still got an Invisible Bastard to deal with. Ain't that right Jerry?"

"Eh~?!" The teen appeared atop the bar in a seated position. "How'd you know I was here?" He asked in seeming awe.

"Your boss literally told you to come up here and when I didn't see the body, I knew you were still up and about." Matt replied in a tone that basically screamed "are you stupid or something?"

"Master I can not allow you to fight in your condition!" Dark Magician pleaded with Matt.

"Go! Or do I have to make it an order?" The boy glared at the spirit who grimaced and left in a hurry.

"Awww~, and I wanted to kill him." Jerry hopped off the bar and gave a threatening smile to Matt. "Then again, you're a solid substitute."

"Oh you'll find I'm all that and then some." Matt gave a challenging smile back to the teen. As they stared each other down.

* * *

"Sir, we've detected a magical signal similar to the object found in the Warehouse!" A Rune Knight approached Captain Sarutobi who was currently in his office.

"Where?" He stood as he prepared for the coming battle.

"Three miles north in the Dark Woods Sir!"

"Ready the troops, I want to be there in under and hour."

"Sir!" The man ran off to begin the operation.

"Just stay alive kid, we're coming." He spoke before leaving the room to finalize some things.

Outside the window, a familiar man heard the news and immediately made his way to this location.

* * *

Matt kicked a chair into Jerry who dodged it and went invisible immediately afterwards.

'So does his magic repel light or manipulate the senses?' Matt thought as he listened closely for any subtle noises. The empty bottle of alcohol tightly grasped in his hand. Upon hearing something to his left, Matt swung the bottle that way only to feel his arm get grabbed. He threw a punch with his other hand, only for it to also get grabbed.

"Tsk tsk tsk. I thought you'd be better than this." Jerry teased the boy, only to look on in confusion as Matt smiled at him.

The boy dropped the bottle and grabbed Jerry's arms tightly, he then spit the contents of his mouth right where his head would be. Blood and alcohol painted his head very clearly. The teen tried to get back as he felt his eyes burn from the liquor, but Matt had other ideas. Sliding his hands down, he hocked a loogie of blood into one hand of Jerry's own.

"Shit!" The teen broke his other hand free and threw a punch, only for it to be caught and also spit on. Matt then yanked the arm forward, causing Jerry to meet Matt's elbow. A sickening noise came from Jerry's now broken nose as he recoiled in pain.

'I see, he doesn't reflect light with a barrier. His magic literally makes his skin reflect light.' Matt smirked as his enemies hands and head were easily visible now. If that wasn't enough, in his stumble of pain Jerry had gotten blood and booze all over his feet too.

'Fuck! When did he drink from that bottle?!' Thinking back, the teen realised there was one moment he took his eyes off of Matt. 'When he kicked the chair eh? Bastard probably bit his cheeks or tongue for the blood afterwards.' Sadly for Jerry, in his already annoyed mood, Matt made it worse by openly mocking him with the good ol' bird.

"C'mon you bastard! That all you got?!" He grinned confidently at the Invisible Mage.

Jerry growled as he charged the boy who dodged his punches. The teen was an assassin, not a brawler. This meant he wasn't used to direct fights and couldn't handle someone that was used to them. One unfortunate overswing with his right arm allowed Matt to elbow him in the Liver. The teen keeled over in agony as Matt smirked.

"You can sure as hell dish it out, but I bet you haven't actually been hit much have you? Your pain tolerance is probably awful." Jerry's sudden ceasing of movement told Matt all he needed to know. "Unfortunately for you, being in my guild for about five years and the constant fights there have given me a pretty damn solid tolerance." Matt cracked his knuckles with a malicious smile. "So let's see who falls first, the guy who can only hit hard versus the guy who can take everything you got!" As Jerry gazed down to the floor, Matt discretely moved something with his foot.

Jerry's hand clawed at the floor in anger as he screamed and charged Matt. The boy simply kept up his smile as no sooner did Jerry's charge start than it immediately ended. Jerry fell over clutching his right foot in pain. A piece of wood seemingly attached to it and a slim metal piece stuck out from the top of the foot.

The boy smiled even wider as he approached Jerry.

"Man, you guys should really clean up around here. All this broken wood with nails lying around is a real hazard y'know?"

Matt walked over to Jerry and stomped on his head a few times, knocking him out and probably breaking a few things.

"Sweet dreams." Sighing and rubbing his side with a wince, Matt made his way to the exit. "Man, some Dark Guild these guys were, talk about total pushovers. Even the boss went down like a bitch."

"Allow me to help you reconsider that opinion." An all too familiar voice spoke behind Matt as he suddenly felt a hand around his neck.

The boss was not only awake, but judging by the bloodshot eyes and blood-painted face, he was beyond furious.

'Shit! Wasn't this guy supposed to be out cold!?' Matt was thrown across the room and bounced off the top of the bar and onto the broken glass littering the other side.

"Y'know I was gonna prolong your suffering for a few weeks." Heavy footsteps approached the bar. "But now, I'm just gonna condense all of that into a single night." The loud pops of knuckles echoed in the room. "So do me a favor kid." The man grabbed the counter of the bar. "Don't die too quick on me." He then ripped the counter from his position only to find nothing. A trail of blood led to the kitchen area.

Matt was currently hiding in the freezer and picking out shards of glass in his body. His visible breaths were quick in a mix of panic and exhaustion. The taunts in his fight with Jerry being a product of strategy and an adrenaline rush which had unfortunately wore off.

'Shit! Calm down Matt. You just gotta last until Dark Magician can arrive with help! It's only three miles. How long could that take when you fly?!'

The sound of twisting metal echoed in the freezing coffin as the freezer door was violently opened and the universe answered that question for Matt.

For a Dark Guild, they had a surprisingly large freezer. Reminiscent of the ones you'd find in a Butcher Shop. Large, frozen slabs of meat were suspended via hooks on the ceiling.

The Boss walked through slowly, stalking his prey that was the child. Faint sounds of moving chains caused him to swing his arm to the side, only to hit a slab of hard frozen meat. Before he could react, a much louder rattle went to his immediate left.

Matt swung on the hook, and by gripping the bottom of it, arced it to land and impale the eye of the boss.

"Gahhhhh!!" He roared in pain as the hook dug into the socket. The ruby liquid of life oozing out in plentiful amounts from the wound.

Matt attempted to back off, but was caught by the neck. As he struggled, Matt had gazed into the Boss' eye and saw only one emotion on his face that caused him to freeze. Ecstasy.

Matt's eyes widened as he felt something for the first time in all his years of life: unbridled fear.

His small form was lifted as the boss removed the hook from his eye, smiling the entire time even as his blood gushed from the wound in shocking amounts. He walked over to another part of the room and slammed Matt shoudler-first into another hook. The nausea inducing sound of bone being pierced by metal reverberated well in the cold metal tomb.

"AHHHHHH!!!" Matt screamed in pure agony. The hook had gone all the way through as the tip of it was higher than his shoulder.

The boss licked his lips as he then tore the chain from the ceiling and then proceeded to swing Matt around like a sack. His body harshly colliding with the frozen meat that felt more like stone than flesh. After a minute of this, he was thrown out the door, hook and chain still attached. His body bounded off the metal island in the kitchen with a series of cracking noises from his body and a deep thud from how hard he hit it.

Matt coughed up blood that was a sickening dark shade of red. His body shaking, he crawled over to an oven and reached beneath it. The heavy footsteps coming closer and closer told Matt to hurry up.

Once again the poor boy was thrown back into the main hall from the kitchen. However this time, he actually set a trap. As the boss went to follow, he heard an odd ticking noise coming from the oven. Unfortunately there was little time to think as the entire kitchen went up in flames from a massive explosion. The Fire Lacrima beneath the oven had been overloaded with Magic Power.

Matt had barely crawled behind a fallen table for protection from the flames. Nails and glass carving his arms from the venture. He breathed hard and uneasily as the sounds of the fire were the only thing on his mind.

The Herculean feat of looking past the table and into the kitchen took most of Matt's remaining energy. This was his last gambit. If it failed…

**_THUNK_**

'No...'

_**THUNK** **THUNK**_

'No! No! No!'

_**THUNK THUNK** **THUNK**_

'NONONONONONONONONONONO'

A large shape covered in flames emerged from the kitchen. All of the skin on the right side of his body had been burnt off to the point of the man being half-flesh half-skeleton. His clothing was mostly gone. However, that smile of pure joy never left his face. Made more evident by the fact that one was practically etched onto his face permanently with the lack of cheek skin.

The walking corpse cracked its neck, Matt visibly seeing the bones crack in place as the tendons and blood vessels slowly regrew around the wound.

Without even realizing it, Matt's body trembled in horror. What he saw before his eyes was no longer man, it was a monster in the hollow skin-suit of one. An abomination of creation cast out from the scorched, endless pits of hell. The putrid smell of burnt flesh and the flinch-inducing noise of grinding bone were all Matt's other senses registered at the moment. Terror overpowering any mundane sense of agony his body was in.

Man may fear that which it does not understand or wish to comprehend, but what shall man do when the beast which they so wished to dictate fictitious comes alive? There is only one answer: accept his imminent death.

The monster then saw him, and if somehow possible, his smile widened. Those familiar footfalls urging Matt's heart to pump as fast as possible. Commanding his brain to release every last milligram of adrenaline. Ordering his muscles to push themselves past the glass ceiling they desperately pounded against.

The boy tried desperately to crawl away. There were no prayers to god for help, he'd long since acknowledged the deitys cold abandonment of him on this day.

Tears rolled down his face uncontrollably, as if his heart still contained some minute vestige of hope. Hope to see his family again. Hope to tell them he was sorry. Sorry that he left them. Sorry he wasn't the best son. Sorry he didn't try harder. There were so many things he wished to say. So many apologies. So many pleas for forgiveness. So many desires he'd never fulfill, having accepted his position as a failure regardless of the world he was in.

His last few nails broke apart as he crawled with all his might to escape. They'd become nothing more than a scarlet trail, carving into the wood.

'I-I don't wanna die!'

His thoughts pleaded with the universe itself. He couldn't fail again. Not when there was so much to loose!

'Please! Someone! Anyone! Save me!'

The boss got closer and closer as Matt finally hit the wall he didn't even know he was approaching in his desperation. Matt's head slowly craned over as the shadow of the man cast over him, swallowing his form entirely into the abyss.

'I... wanna live...'

As the last vestige of hope flickered away in the boy's eyes and his life flashed before them, the boss reached out towards him.

Only to be violently thrown back to the opposite side of the room.

The boy looked up to see a familiar brown cloak in front of him.

"Gil...darts." Matt weakly muttered. The color of the man's cloak being the sole thing his ridiculously blurred vision could even make out anymore.

Gildarts glared at the still moving form of the bastard he'd just chucked across the room. Veins raged across his forehead and his eyes bore into the very soul of the man across from him. No words came from his mouth as the leader of the Dark Guild got up once more. His body had regenerated a considerable degree from when Matt last saw it. The skin, exposed tendons and muscle were all back, albeit red and wet with blood. Like a living anatomical human diagram.

The older mage wasted no time in striking. The beatdown was brutal beyond words. Matt could faintly recall some rather disgusting noises coming from that Monsters body as Gildarts wailed on him without mercy. No magic was used as Gildarts took this personally.

Eventually, after minutes of unadulterated hyper violence, the big man was rendered completely unconscious. This was either due to his healing magic forcibly knocking him out, or his brain itself being rendered to goo and forcing a temporary knock out.

Gildarts glared at the form for a moment before rushing over to the prone Matt. He had wanted to get Matt in a more comfortable position, however one look at his wounds immediately shot that down. The man was terrified of even breathing on the boy, thinking he'd shatter apart like a porcelain doll.

"J-Just hang in there Matt! Rune Knights are coming!" Matt barely registered Gildarts' words as after a moment, the Rune Knights finally arrived if the shifting of the orange and brown blur in Matt's eyes said anything.

"Make sure all members of Wicker Man are captured!" The captain barked as the soldiers rushed off. Sarutobi looked around at the completely destroyed guild hall and was slightly surprised by the destruction.

He noticed and approached the kneeling Gildarts, "I assume you dealt... with..." As Sarutobi approached, he saw the still barely breathing Matt and momentarily stared in shock and horror. "Get this child to a doctor immediately!" He yelled in a mix of authority and genuine worry.

The world began to go dark for Matt as sounds turned into muffled vibrations and blurs of light turned to black ink-like stains. He closed his eyes for what he thought could be the last time. Not knowing if he should curse the world for letting his life end like this once more. Or thanking it for ending his suffering.

* * *

"Where... am I?" Matt muttered as he opened his eyes to be met with the abyss.

His small form floated aimlessly in the black void with no beginning to his arrival in memory or end to this journey in sight.

"This place... it's familiar." To Matt's shook as his very soul trembled the longer he remained here. As if it knew this place rather intimately.

"I... can't remember." Nothing made sense anymore. The thoughts controlled by his synapses began to cease the longer he floated. What could've been simple seconds felt like millenia in this world of emptiness.

After what could've been a literal eternity, a bright, blinding light filled the void. It was as if heaven had appeared before him. Matt subconsciously smiled as he gazed at the light, finding solace in its brilliant radiance. The boy reached for it in desperation, his arms stretching up as far as they could.

Furthur words or thoughts couldn't even be considered or started of as Matt lost consciousness.

* * *

Matt slowly opened his eyes again. His immediate feeling was the agony his body was in. Nothing didn't hurt in a manner a dictionary couldn't describe. However his shoulder hurt considerably more than anything else. He observed his surroundings to find himself in quite the luxurious room. High-price furniture, decorative items and expensive paintings were all around him. He saw that his deck box and knife were beside him on a desk.

'Well at least the bed is soft. Gonna suck to get out of it since I think I've sunken into it, but that's a problem for future Matt.'

He tested feeling for everything. All fingers and toes responded, so nothing lost there. He could feel his hair on his ears, so those are good. Obviously his vision was normal and his tongue didn't feel any gaps in his teeth.

'Christ, I got lucky. I… should be dead.' Matt didn't even want to think back to what happened that night. He didn't even want to imagine that… that Monster ever again.

"Monster eh?"

Matt froze. His very blood ceasing movement as a chill ran down his spine that surpassed even the Antarctic blizzards.

His eyes, against his better judgment, peered up to see a shadowy visage of the half-man half-skeleton smiling at him.

"That's a good description Kid. But I think you could do better."

Matt couldn't even scream as the abyssal aeon reached out its hand for him.

His eyes shot open and sweat drenched his body.

Even as his body cried in agony, Matt sat up and gazed around the room. Nearly hyperventilating as his heart threatened to burst from its current speed.

'A nightmare.' Matt's breathing slowed. 'It was just, a nightmare.' His free hand was held to his chest as his breathing eventually leveled out. 'It all felt so real...' He laid back down to the approval of his body.

He noticed something from the corner of his eye. That same visage from the nightmare just stood there, staring at him.

'Oh.' Matt connected the dots. The pain of his body told him this was real. 'That's... not good.' Even if he knew it wasn't real, even if his brain had firmly concluded to that thing being fake, Matt still received that same feeling of dread from it like the real thing.

"Well look who woke up!" Matt's gaze shot up to see the familiar Gildarts with a large smile on his face and a fruit basket in hand. Matt sighed in relief at the familiar sight. He put on his best front to make sure the man didn't suspect anything.

"Hey. How long was I out?" He asked as Gildarts pulled a chair by his bed and sat.

"Hmmm. I'd say about a week now."

"I see." An awkward silence enveloped the two for a moment. "So what happened after I passed out?"

Gildarts grabbed a banana from the basket and started to peel it. "Well, after you got rushed to a hospital, the Captain of the Rune Knights had every surviving member of Wicker Man arrested. They're currently awaiting trial at the Magic Council HQ. As for the Princess, your buddy delivered her to a guard by the city limits before disappearing. She's fine, apparently she was a bit underfed, but that cleared up in a couple days." The S-class Wizard began eating his peeled prize.

"You had a job to hunt them down didn't you?" Matt's words caused the older man to sigh and smile.

"That obvious eh?"

"It's the only reason you'd have bothered coming with me. You've barely been to this city and yet you somehow conveniently know a "good place". Makarov also just happened to give me another reason to visit which allowed you to tag along too to keep an eye on me. This is on top of his odd tone when I mentioned you coming with me."

"Geez, I know you're smart but save some that thinking power for the rest of us." Scratching the back of his head, Gildarts devoured the rest of his banana.

"What can I say, I'm just that good." Instead of his playful cockiness and a smirk following this, a defeated smile took its place.

Another thick silence enveloped the two. "Did... Did the doctor say how long before I could leave?"

"If you're still on about reading all those books I can get you some in a few trips-" Gildarts was about to offer before being cut off.

"No." Matt's free hand shakily grabbed his heavily bandaged shoulder. "I just don't wanna be here anymore." His tone tried to sound natural, but there was a subtle shake to it.

Gildarts stared at Matt before looking for another fruit. "About another week." While not visible to Matt, Gildarts' expression was oozing guilt.

"... Alright then." He nodded.

Thankfully before more awkward silence could set in, the door opened once more.

"Ah, there you are!" The familiar voice of Arcadios greeted Matt.

"Oh, uh, Arcadios was it?" Matt tilted his head trying to remember the name of that guard.

"Indeed my friend! I have much to tell you!" He closed the door before approaching the foot of the bed.

"Actually, wait, you look different." Matt saw that Arcadios had a different armor on. Far more ornate and unique compared to the other set.

"Ah, yes! I was given the honor of being placed on the personal guard of the Royal Family." The man spoke with a puffed chest in pride.

"Good for you then." The boy weakly smiled at the older man.

"Many thanks, but that is not all." The turned to be out of Matt's sight of the door. "Introducing, his majesty, King Fiore!" After his words the door opened to reveal a small, older man dressed in regal clothing. He smiled as he approached.

"You must be Matthew." He beamed at the boy. "On behalf of the Kingdom and my family, you have my thanks for saving not only my life, but my daughters as well." He bowed his head in thanks, causing Arcadios to follow suit.

"I, uh, well, I mean." Matt quickly spat out. "Thanks for the gesture and all but I really didn't do much." He waved his free hand in dismissal with an attempt at a smile.

"Nonsense, your rescue of myself allowed the guards to be organized even faster. And your unfortunate capture but subsequent rescue of my daughter allowed us to move without concern for a hostage. Your selflessness saved the Kingdom and myself much grief and sorrow." He bluntly told the boy.

"Well, when you put it like that..." The boy scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

The king smiled, "Now then, a week from now we shall be hosting a party."

Matt tilted his head, "Okay, what does that have to do with me?"

"Why, you're the guest of honor of course!" Fiore flung out his arms and smiled at the youth.

"Huh?" Matt tilted his head in surprise. He looked to Gildarts who nodded. Then to Arcadios who also nodded. "HUH?!"

* * *

"Man, I already feel stiff enough as is, but this monkey suit isn't helping." Matt complained as he adjusted the bowtie on his tuxedo. It had a dark purple outside with a black inside and tail, a white over shirt with a black bowtie, dark purple pants and black shoes. His hair had been slicked back, showing off his full face.

He'd gotten rid of the bandages earlier today, though his shoulder still had a layer of it just to be safe. Matt was just happy to have full motion in an arm again. Though the cringe-cringe-inducing look of the regrowing nails on his fingers made him pocket his hands as much as possible. Even if the doctors here gave Porlyusica a run for her money, they couldn't do absolutely everything.

"Oh hush, just enjoy the party." Arcadios spoke beside him.

Throughout most of the night he'd had a few interactions with some people. They exchanged names and then they thanked him for his service. He awkwardly tried to circumvent the compliment and then the cycle continued over and over again.

Though he certainly preferred them over the shadowy visage of that Monster that now lived in the corners of his eyes. If one were to look at the food he chewed, a thin coating of blood could be seen as he bit _hard_ into his cheeks to stop himself from making a scene.

A mantra of "Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it," resounded in his head ad nauseam. He breathed deeply and exhaled slowly. 'Come on Matt. Just make it through tonight and tough it out.' Even if he told himself this, deep down, he knew this may never go away.

"At least the food is decent." The young Mage desperately spoke to distract himself as he grabbed another handful of cubed cheese.

He'd basically marked his territory by the food table. Even if it was being used to state his growing panic and anxiety, the food in the castle was insane compared to what he normally ate. Naturally the abilities of chefs in the castle were far above his own, so he was gonna savor every last calorie of it. Or at least attempt to.

As this was happening, a guard went halfway up the stairs. Before gaining everyone's attention.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please!" The guard commanded the crowd. "Introducing his Majesty, King Fiore! Accompanying him are Queen Fiore and Princess Hisui!"

The crowd clapped as from atop the stairs emerged the Royal Family. King walking beside Queen. The Queen was a beautiful woman with long green hair and wore a truly gorgeous white dress to compliment her pale skin. She had the familiar Princess in her arms. The King raised an arm and the applause dulled.

"I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming to this gathering. However, the true men worthy of your respect and applause are our men of honor tonight." The king briefly paused before gesturing to the Knight next to Matt.

"Arcadios, the knight who assisted in my own rescue. His courage and bravery to risk his life is truly commendable!"

Applause broke out as Arcadios smiled and thanked everyone.

Once it died down, the King continued. "Now, the man of the hour. The one who led the rescue on not only my own life, but my daughters as well. He selflessly went into enemy territory, saved the Princess and escaped with his life while subduing the entire Dark Guild. Ladies and Gentlemen, please! Put your hands together for Matthew Atlas!"

A roar of applause broke out as Matt nervously chuckled and smiled.

'I can't believe they actually went with that last name.' Matt cringed a bit.

The King had asked if the boy had a last name, when he responded that he didn't, the king proposed he make one. They shuffled around a few ideas earlier in the day. 'Might as well take after the best King.' Matt was at least happy it sounded alright.

"Now then, let the festivities continue!" And just like that, everything was back to normal.

Matt held his hand to his heart and sighed in relief. He certainly wouldn't get used to that anytime soon. From his side the figure of the Queen and Princess approached him.

"Young man, allow me to personally thank you for saving my daughter." She smiled at him.

"Oh, really it's nothing." Once again Matt tried to wave off the compliments. A familiar gurgle caught his attention.

He approached the Princess, "Hey kid, how's it going?"

She laughed.

"I see. Still planning world domination huh?"

A gurgle came out.

"What do you mean you enlisted the help of Gremlins?"

Another laugh.

"Look I know you both speak in odd tongues but that's no reason to get them involved."

A gurgle.

"Don't give me that! I'll have you know the only weapon of mass destruction you possess are dirty diapers!"

Another laugh.

"Don't talk to me like that! Does your mother kiss the cheek by that mouth?!"

The "conversation" between the two caused the Queen to laugh.

"She certainly seems to like you."

"Well we came to a mutual understanding." He nodded with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

"I see." The woman smiled.

She knew her daughter was bound to live a life without many peers to interact with. But perhaps having even one real friend would mean everything down the line.

"Ah, I see the hero of the hour and my precious Queen and Princess are getting along well." The King approached the trio.

"Indeed." The queen smiled at her husband.

"Allow me to thank you once more Matthew, if there's anything I can ever do to assist you, just let me know." The King smiled at Matt.

Knowing that trying to be humble would just drag things out, Matt smiled. "Thank you."

"Now come young man, let's enjoy ourselves. Not every day the Royal Family parties in your honor eh?"

The King grabbed Matt's hand and dragged him off to meet some people despite his protests of desiring more cubed cheese.

* * *

"Home sweet home." Matt sighed as he returned to the guild with Gildarts. The older man had been at the hotel during the event, citing "stomach pains". However upon investigation, "stomach pains" was layman's terms for "trying to score". Ironically, neither went or ended well in this case.

The boy slumped onto a table as his bag rested on the floor. Gildarts followed suit in a fit of depression after his latest failure.

"Ah, Matt and Gildarts. Good to see you two again!" Makarov smiled as he approached the pair.

"Hey Master." Matt grumbled as his face was firmly on the wooden table.

"I see you two had quite the adventure while away."

Matt turned his head and raised an eyebrow. Makarov raised a newspaper with the headline: "Young Wizard Saves Royal Family!" It showed a picture of Matt awkwardly standing at the party.

The boy groaned, "Oh God, I don't wanna be famous." He whined that last part out as he once again hid head head around his arms. Not to entirely overplay what was happening, but in an attempt to hide from that familiar shadow.

"Now now my boy, there's no reason to be like that!" Makarov tried to reassure the boy, though he did notice something very off about him.

Gildarts desperately gestured for Master to cut that out, however it unfortunately fell on deaf ears as more familiar faces popped up.

"Well if it isn't the local hero!" Macao walked over with a smile.

"Who knows, maybe he and the Princess can be a thing down the line!" Wakaba teased the boy furthur with a grin.

"Is it true Big Bro Matt?! Did you actually save the Princess?!" Cana excitedly approached him.

The large group, unbeknownst to them, was being painted by a familiar ginger haired man with a large smile on his face. Unfortunately what should've been a happy memory for the boy, was tainted by the looming shadow that bore itself into even the backs of his eyes.

* * *

"ORDER!" Chairman Seam ordered as the familiar leader of Wicker Man stood before the magic council.

He was heavily restrained and had his magic cut off. The man was also still heavily wounded, gauze and bandages encased him like a mummy.

"Vladimir Khan! You are accused of 3,687 counts of first degree murder, 5,934 counts of ordering the murders of others, 1,635 counts of kidnapping, 8,478 counts of extortion and over 10000 miscellaneous counts of arson, assault, destruction of property and accepting payment for murder." Councilman Gran Doma read off the list. "How do you plea?"

"I can't wait." The man spoke through the bandages.

"Excuse me?" Councilman Belno raised a brow.

"I can't wait, TO KILL THAT KID!!" The man howled in laughter afterwards, garnering disgusted looks from everyone sans the Chairman who seemed indifferent.

"Vladimir Khan, you are hereby sentenced to Naraka's Avīci level!" Org barked as he ordered the man to be taken away.

Even with the absolute worst possible sentence a Mage could ever receive from the council, Vladimir laughed the entire way to the boat.

* * *

Later that night, Matt sat alone in his room. Darkness encompassed the small space with the only light coming from the cloud covered moon. As Matt stared into the abyss lurking in his room with his body quivering the whole time. The same shadow stared at him from the corner of the wooden box of a home. He shakily lifted his hand to turn on his lamp. However the second the flame lit, horrific images of that night flashed in his mind.

"Ahhhhhh!" The boy screamed in terror as he smashed his fist down onto the lamp to stop the flame. Shards of glass impaling themselves into his flesh once more.

He stumbled back off his bed and fell against the wall, his breaths and body trembling. Blood dripped from the fresh wounds on his hand as he shook uncontrollably.

"It's as I thought." Makarov stated as he looked at Matt from the newly opened door. His eyes filled with a mix of emotions that all but compelled the old man to help Matt.

"Oh. H-Hey Master." Matt tried to control his breathing. "I uh, just got spooked by a big spider, that's all." The boy tried to get the old man to leave. He didn't want _anyone_ to see him like this. Hell, _he_ didn't even want to see himself like this. Seeing himself like this disgusted him and pissed him off.

"That kind of reaction, isn't from a spider." Makarov sadly said as he approached the boy and sat next to him against the wall.

A silence enveloped the two as Matt desperately wanted him to leave. Not because he hated Makarov, far from it. It was because he just... wanted to be alone.

"Being alone isn't going to help you my boy."

Matt's eyes widened as Makarov practically read his mind.

"I... can't even imagine what you're dealing with right now. That kind of fear, that level of unimaginable terror constantly haunting you every day. Every time you close your eyes. Every time your thoughts drift for even a second. Every time you think you're safe. It must seem impossible to overcome." Makarov looked at the boy, "However the absolute worst thing you can do, is bottle it up. Allowing it to grow uncontrollably and having it take hold of your heart. That path will bring nothing but sorrow to you and everyone else."

A new feeling built up in Matt as he listened to the man. Rage.

"That's. That's not gonna work Master. Something like that just isn't possible with this." He tried to clarify to the old man, Matt's body language was tight and forced.

"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. But you need to do something to help yourself before you hurt even more or do something you'll regret."

Matt knew he was right. He knew that everything he was feeling, everything that he was experiencing wasn't even remotely healthy. But something had been knocked loose. Something that'd held on strong for five years had come undone in Matt.

"Then what the hell do you suggest I do?!" He slammed his hand into the ground. "There's no doctor that can prescribe me medicine to help in this world! There's no specialists that know how to talk to someone as-as fucked up as me! My damn family isn't even here!" Each sentence caused him to smash his hand harder and harder into the floor, causing even more blood to come out.

"I've tried Master! I've tried for five goddamn years! Every time I think I'm close I get nothing! Every rock, every corner, every crevice, I've checked them all!" Tears began to stream down his face. "Everything here is a damn sick joke to me! What kind of fucked up position am I in huh?! I either go back to my old family and throw away everyone here that helped me out of the kindness of their hearts, or I give up on the people that birthed and raised me! What the fuck am I supposed to do damnit?!" His hands clenched so hard one would think the bones would pop out.

"Every single choice I make from who I talk to, all the way to who I fall in love with means someone suffers in the end! How could I possibly choose either side?! My heart just can't take it!" He slouched forward onto all fours. The rage finally subsiding into unfiltered sorrow. "I-I can't make that choice Master. I'm-I'm not strong enough. My heart would shatter into a million pieces." His eyes flooded with tears as he held on to stop everything that had been building up from bursting out.

Ever since arriving to this world, Matt had always made it a point to try and find a way home. He tried. He tried his hardest to disallow himself to bond with anyone in this world. But human's are social creatures. Such a thing proved impossible for someone with a mind that was still very young itself. For someone as lonely as Matt.

The recent ordeal didn't help whatsoever either. Now there was the terror of death instilled on him. He'd seen how this world could be and that made him want to go home even more. But he was too scared to try now. He could've sat in that library and kept looking, but he was afraid. Afraid that if he found something, he might just die before reaching an answer. That damn Monster's shadow mocking him every time he closed his eyes or let his guard down for even a second.

Matt was stuck. And he didn't see a way out.

Makarov looked at the boy for a moment before answering.

"Then Fairy Tail will pick up the pieces if you stay. And if you leave, your original family will pick them up." Makarov stood and sat down in front of the young man who'd ceased crying and gazed at him in a genuine plea of help. "Let it all out my boy."

Matt's face contorted as tears once more fell from his eyes. He reached out and buried his face into the old man's chest, wrapping his arms around the man so tightly it hurt. "I was so scared master." The boy's voice was shaky and muffled. "I thought. I thought I was gonna die."

Makarov returned a hug to the boy. As they remained like this as long as he needed. Matt's whimpers filling the moonlit room.


	6. Heart of Ice, Mind of Steel

**Well since I've finally gotten a comment I can sink my teeth into answering, (no offense to the other comments, but I just like answering direct questions and spouting the same "Thank you for the support" over and over would kinda loose its meaning fast), it's time for a new thing!**

**PixelatedWriter342:** Firstly: thank you for the kind words! Secondly: yeah this story will get pretty damn dark at points, but I'm trying to balance it out with fluff and simple slice of life content. I will definitely give out warnings for when this story does go to those dark places though, since I don't hold back when I go there. The story is M-rated for a reason after all.

**With that done, please enjoy the chapter!**

Four months has passed since Matt's breakdown, things had somewhat returned to normal. The boy stayed away from jobs as his body recovered both physically and mentally. The physical wounds had healed by now. A nasty scar on Matt's left shoulder was probably there to stay, along with a few scars from glass across his forearms. Thankfully his Guildmark wasn't damaged through all that. As for the mental scars, the shadow didn't appear very often anymore, but the bags under his eyes told another story.

"And that's checkmate." Matt muttered out in a bored tone. He and Gildarts were playing chess.

"One more round!" Gildarts shouted at him.

"Old Man we've gone 75-0. You haven't even come close to winning." The ten year-old bluntly shattered the man's pride

Gildarts opened his mouth to respond, however the words finally sunk in as he slouched over defeated.

"Damnit. Can no one here beat that kid in anything?" Macao sighed as he observed Gildarts loose yet again.

"Nope. Even Master couldn't get the better of him at anything." Wakaba rubbed out the butt of the cigarette he'd just finished.

"Well what haven't we tried?"

"He beat all of us at Chess, Checkers, Shogi, Go, Tic Tac Toe, Dominoes, Blackjack, Poker, Rock Paper Scissors, Speed, Rummy, Hearts, Dice, War, Spoons, Sheng Ji, Patience, Go Fish, Crazy Eights, then there was that one game we made up to win but still lost at." The chainsmoker counted on every finger each game they lost at.

"So you're saying..."

"We've literally run out of games to challenge him to."

The duo looked at each other for a moment and then admitted defeat with a sigh. Cana looked at the two but shrugged her shoulders, ignoring their plight.

After their last game, Gildarts mentioned he'd needed to head out for a bit on a quest and left. Matt was currently having a glass of milk at the bar. He'd turned the big one oh and had passed the five year mark of being here.

For the sake of his mental health, he'd decided to call off searching for a way home temporarily. After his little incident, Matt knew two things needed to happen. He needed to get stronger as a Mage, seeing as what transpired that night wouldn't have happened if he had a larger arsenal of magic. Lastly he needed to start thinking smarter rather than harder.

Seriously? Reading every single book for a trace of evidence wasn't gonna get him anywhere fast. Though the extra knowledge from his zerg rush of books proved handy more often than not, Matt needed to think things through better, learn what had potential and what didn't.

While the first one could be solved easily, the second would take time and experience however.

'Well, not like I'm going anywhere.' He sighed as he finished off the glass of milk.

Off in the distance, Matt heard an unfamiliar series of footsteps sound in the guild. After spending so long in the guild he'd learned who people were based on their footsteps alone. Granted many people have left and joined the guild since his arrival, but basically everyone he knew was here. So it was surprising when for the first time in a while, he heard some he didn't know.

Turning his head around, Matt saw a young boy around Cana's age standing in the middle of the guild. He hard short black hair with black pants a blue shirt and a white jacket with light brown fur around it. This boy approached Makarov with an almost determined expression.

"Is this Fairy Tail?" He asked the old man who was sitting and enjoying a drink.

"Why yes it is young man. I'm Makarov, the master of the guild. What can I do for you?" As usual, he greeted newcomers with a smile.

Hesitating a moment, the boy sighed before speaking. "Have you heard of a spell called Iced Shell?"

Makarov thought for a moment, cycling through his vast library of knowledge. "Ah yes, that spell. What about it?"

His expression turned grim. "Is there a way to… release the spell?" The boy looked almost afraid to ask that. Like he already knew the answer.

"Hmmm. I believe there is yes." Makarov's words genuinely shocked the boy.

"There is?! Can you please tell me?!" He spoke with a combination of excitement and pleading.

However, Makarov sighed knowing where this would go next. "Young man I'm sorry to say that I can not tell you that."

"Wh-what?! But why?!" The boy was starting to get angry. He'd found out a solution to his blight was within his grasp, yet it was being denied to him!

"Iced Shell is a spell that uses the very essence of the user in order to seal its target. This means that melting or undoing it would truly kill whoever casted it." Makarov spoke in a grim tone as he shattered the perceptions of the boy.

It was like his world was rocked to its core; the boy fell to his knees. "Then... Ur is alive."

Makarov looked at the boy with pity. If he had to guess, someone dear to the boy used the spell and he simply wished to see them again. He'd probably gone in search of a cure and no one he asked had the heart to tell the boy the truth of the spell.

"Young man, I know not why you wish to undo the Iced Shell, but what I do know is that you came here for another reason didn't you?"

The boy looked shocked by Makarov's words, but quickly realized they were correct. "I came here because I was told there were strong mages over here."

"Well whoever told you wasn't wrong. You're in a pretty strong guild right now."

He looked around with a confused expression. "But there's hardly anyone here?" The boy had a point. The Guild was only about 30 strong these days.

Makarov stifled a laugh. "My boy it's not about numbers or the strength of the individual that truly makes someone strong. It's about the bonds they share with those around them. These bonds allow us to get back up when others would not. They allow us to push ourselves beyond our limits to succeed. Fairy Tail is a family, and as a family we share a bond that can never be broken. A bond that allows us to fight against anyone or anything. That, my boy, is why we are strong."

Looking at Makarov in awe of his words, the boy looked down for a moment in thought before he stood up. "Gray."

"Hm?"

"My name is Gray Fullbuster. Please, let me join your guild!" He pleaded with the old man.

As if messing with him, Makarov remained silent for a moment and put a hand to his chin before smiling, "Of course Gray, welcome aboard!"

Gray smiled at his words and rocked his arms back with a "Yes!"

"Matt, would you mind grabbing the stamp for me?" Beofre Makarov could look his way, the stamp was already next to him. "Thank you!" Matt walked back to the bar with a two finger wave.

As he sat there he thumped his head to the counter suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Cana asked sitting next to him.

"We got a new member." He grumbled out.

"Oh yeah, Gray Fullofsomething right? What's the big deal?" She was genuinely curious as to why Matt was suddenly like this.

Matt groaned as he grabbed a nearby chair. "Well seeing as you were a bit young when you joined I doubt you remembered that night. And you're away often enough at the church or on a job that you haven't seen it." He sighed as he recalled the reason Cana genuinely wouldn't know. "See the guild has a tradition."

"What kind of tradition?" She seemed genuinely curious.

"Well."

""PARTY TIME"" The rest of the guild shouted in joy simultaneously. Soon enough said drinking and laughing turned into a massive brawl.

"That kind of tradition." Cana took cover behind the bar as a body collided with the counter. Matt felt a barrel smash into his spine. Veins bulged on his forehead as he immediately charged into the fray.

"Damnit Wan I told you to stop using tables as springboards!" Matt shouted as he smashed a chair over the head of the 14 year-old. He barely ducked beneath a barrel thrown his way. "Alfonse stop chucking barrels of alcohol with your magic!" The boy ran over, oblivious that he'd also joined in the tradition.

Gray stood by Cana in awe of what was happening.

"Does this... normally happen?" He asked with a truly bewildered expression at the sight.

"I'm told it's only when new members join." She recalled Matt's words from earlier.

"Oh." The boy's tone became more understanding.

"For the partying it's whenever they find a half-decent reason to." Now _that_ Cana was familiar with. Spend enough time with Fairy Tail and mention some holiday as insignificant as National Book Day and everyone parties the night away. Matt's personal favorite was when they partied for eighteen hours straight on National Alcohol Abstinence Day. The amount of vomit he had to clean up would haunt him forever though...

"Oh." Suddenly Gray's tone was much more confused before he shrugged. "Well it doesn't matter, no way am I stupid enough to join in on those." He stated matter-of-factly with a plop onto a barstool. Cana however looked over very confused.

"Uhhh. Gray."

"Yeah, what?"

"Clothes." She pointed at the boy.

The boy looked down to see he was only in his boxers. "Not here too!"

* * *

About a week after Gray had joined, things had finally settled and adjusted themselves once more. It was certainly odd having a kid with a chronic stripping habit, but he meshed well with the hodgepodge of odd people that made up Fairy Tail.

Matt sat at the bar with an expression of being deep in thought. A faintly audible "hmm" could be heard if one were to pay close attention. After continuing like this for five entire minutes, he finally gave up with a sigh.

"What seems to be troubling you Matt?" The Master asked as he sat atop the counter next to the boy.

"Well I wanna learn a Caster Magic, but I'm completely stumped on which kind I wanna learn." He placed a hand to his chin.

"Perhaps I could help you narrow it down. What are you specifically looking for in it?" Now this was something Makarov could very easily assist with.

"Well, it's gotta be versatile. Never know what kind of situation I'm gonna run into. It's also gotta compliment my Duel Monsters. So probably something that has strong range offense options. Would also be nice if it wasn't elemental so I could avoid a hard counter." He listed off his specifications like the lines memorized by an actor.

"Well at least you've narrowed it down a fair bit with that kind of trimming." Makarov also placed a hand on his chin in thought. "You've already looked through everything in the Archive yes?"

"Yeah, nothing there fits my criteria. Sure some of them are useful like Modern Runes, but they're not practical in fight-or-flight scenarios y'know?"

Sure Matt had read all those books on magic, however just because you read a book on how to create Plutonium doesn't mean you can spontaneously do it. Caster Magic took time and many rereads of the material on top of practice to competently perform.

The duo sat in silence for a moment before Makarov stood. "Come with me my boy, I have a few books that could be what you're looking for in my office."

Matt nodded as they approached the stairs. "Whoa whoa whoa, wait." Matt suddenly stopped them. "Is it okay?" He asked the old man very cautiously.

Makarov looked at him confused, but he quickly realized what he meant. The second floor was S-class only after all. He nodded as Matt shrugged his shoulders and followed him. Thankfully Makarov's office was immediately by the left-side stairs.

"Huh, cleaner than I imagined." The office was surprisingly well kept. Not a speck of dust on anything visible.

"Of course. Only way this place would be a mess is if for some reason the Council decided they hated us." Makarov scoffed, "Not happening anytime soon that's for sure." The boy nodded as he sat down.

Makarov returned with a few books in tow. He placed them on the table in front of him.

"These are magic books I keep up here due to their advanced nature. And before you say it, Rune Magic, while very advanced, is still beginner friendly. These books already assume you know the basics of Magic Power usage and skip straight to the good stuff."

Makarov pointed to the first book. "This is a book about Replication Magic. It allows the user to copy things that they see and use them. The major limit is the range and uses of the objects. They can be manipulated, but most people aren't creative enough to utilize them in any real unique manner. However, you aren't "most people" now are you?"

Matt nodded as he weighed to pros and cons of this magic before gesturing for Makarov to continue.

Next up was the second book. "This is magic related to redirection. It allows the user to essentially guard and redirect opponents attacks back at them. However a skilled user could use this in other ways if they think outside the box."

'Huh, kinda like that Vector Bastard's magic. Though this seems a bit more advanced.' Matt thought as he recalled the firsthand experience with magic of this nature. After a moment he motioned for Makarov to finish off the books.

Lastly, the third book. "Last, but not least, is Illusion Magic. This is the very same magic used by the first master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillion. As the title suggests, the user can create things that aren't truly there. Most people write this magic off as cheap entertainment, but I have a feeling someone like you could use them in ways never-before-seen."

Matt stared intently at the three books. Weighing the pros and cons of each magic very carefully. After a moment, he grabbed the first book.

"Honestly I felt like that was what you were going for." Makarov nodded, but was surprised as Matt also grabbed the third book.

"I of course want an offensive magic, but if I could end things without spilling blood, that'd be nice too." He plainly told the man as he walked out after a bow of thanks.

Makarov sat there for a moment before grinning. "He's certainly an interesting one."

Matt wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was rather excited by that first book. He exited the guildhall and walked over to his usual training spot, a small clearing by the lake in the woods. Sitting down on a stump, Matt rubbed his hands together in excitement.

'If this works in the way I think it does, I'm gonna have fun with this!' He smirked devilishly as he sat down and started reading the book.

The contents of the books early chapters basically boiled down to connecting the process of shaping Magic Power and visualization of the desired object. The latter proved relatively easy for Matt, however the former would take a bit of effort. It was one thing to think of a weapon, it was another to shape an incorporeal energy to those exact specifications down to the t.

'Probably best to start small.' Matt nodded as he closed his eyes and visualized a simple kitchen knife. Wooden handle, clean and sharp blade that was single edged, curved edge that went into a 90 angle to head back to the handle. Matt opened his outstretched hand.

He felt his Magic Power drain as he attempted to mold the expelled energy into the desired form. Once he felt an invisible weight by his hand, he grasped it and opened his eyes.

"..." Matt stared at the entirely wooden creation with a scowl. He tossed the knife behind him. "Alright, I see where I screwed up. Let's try again." What he didn't notice in his haste was the fact the knife shattered into tiny pieces midair behind him.

Once more he repeated the process, making sure to specify the metal blade this time. The same invisible weight made itself present by his hand. Matt grasped the knife.

"…" Raising the blade to his face revealed a few minor flaws. Namely in the fact simply moving the knife caused the metal to crack and the wood to audibly split. "I think I can see why this magic was far from beginner friendly."

This magic, to form perfect copies, needed a true visualization. How hard was the metal? How tough is the wood? Are the two connected or fused together? How sharp is the edge of the blade? What color is the blade and wood? How much does it weigh? What's the texture of the wood and metal? What wood and metal are used?

'The problem isn't the shaping process itself, it's the hyper-specfifc detailing that turns most people off to it.' Matt threw away the second dud knife. 'I imagine if I can get it down perfectly once, my magic will be able to fill in the gaps more accurately when I make it again and again. Meaning this magic is legitimately like a muscle with its own memory to boot.'

Taking a deep breath Matt tried again, his face full of determination.

* * *

Matt walked back into the guild dragging his feet a bit. He sat down at an empty table and placed his head in his arms as Makarov approached.

"So, how'd it go?" The old man asked curiously.

"157." Matt spoke with his voice muffled by his arms.

"What does that mean?" The Master asked with a tilt of his head.

"It took me 157 attempts to create a knife that wouldn't break from gravity alone. Even then it shattered after I swung it in the air once."

Makarov chuckled at the boy's plight. "Well my boy I never said it'd be easy."

The old man sat atop the table with a mug and was about to drink, when he noticed something.

"I'm getting closer." Matt's words caused the old man to look at him with a confused expression. He sat up and looked at his hand. "Every failure I feel my mental image becoming clearer and clearer. I know for a fact that as long as I keep at it, I will succeed." The boy clutched his hand in strong resolve.

Smiling at his raw will to succeed, Makarov walked off, unable to wipe the expression off his face.

Remaining to sit there with his head back in his arms for a while, Matt didn't not notice the intense look Gray was giving him across the table.

"Hmmm." The black haired boy's scowl grew deeper.

"…" Matt tried to ignore the young Mage.

"Hmmmmmmm."

"..."

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm."

"Yes?" Matt broke.

"I feel like I've seen you somewhere before." Gray placed a hand to his chin as he tried to search his memory.

"Can't say I honestly recognize ya. I'd especially remember someone only in their boxers." Matt's tone was as dry as ever.

"Huh?" Gray looked confused by his words. Matt simply pointed down and Gray saw he was only in his underwear. "Ah come on!" The stripper of a child quickly put his discarded clothes back on before sitting down again. "But seriously, you look really familiar."

Matt shrugged, "Don't know what to tell ya. Maybe I just happen to look like someone you've seen."

"Yeah. Maybe you're right." Gray begrudgingly agreed.

"Oh, could it perhaps be you see out little Hero here in the paper here?" Macao smirked as he approached them.

"Hero?" Gray tilted his head as Matt began to nervously sweat.

"Of course!" The bluenette pulled out a familiar newspaper.

"Do you just keep that on you?!" Matt shouted at the man who devilishly smiled and showed the front of it to Gray.

Staring at it for a few moments, Gray responded. "Nope. That's not it at all." Matt sighed in relief as Macao lowered his head in disappointment, his plan to tease the boy ruined.

"Looks like your attempt was a bust Macao." Wakaba smiled as he draped an arm over his friend.

"As usual his teasing is just too small-time to affect me. He should learn to mess with someone his own size if he wants any success." Matt nodded vigorously as he chided the man.

Gray's eyes widened at his words. "That's it!"

The three turned their heads to the boy.

"What's it?" Matt raised a brow.

"I remember you now!" Gray pointed at Matt.

"Huh? Kid how can you know Matt if it wasn't from the Paper?" Wakaba asked with blatant curiosity.

"He visited my village earlier this year!"

"I did?"

5 months ago

Matt, before heading back to Magnolia from his first job out of Fiore, decided to stop in a nearby village for the day. Once he got back, the plan was to head to Corcus and tackle that behemoth. He was especially determined to after the local library was completely full of books he already read.

"Man, this place is friggin cold." A slight shiver plagued his body as he approached the bar.

Upon entering, Matt was greeted with comfortable warmth and plenty of loud people. He saw an empty seat by the bar and sat down.

"What'll it be." The bartender said as he handed him a menu with his back to the boy as he was prepping other drinks.

"Mmm. I think a Shirley Temple would be nice. Oh and I'll also have a nice steak, medium rare, with some fries." He picked his choices off the menu with slight glee.

The bartender turned to the boy who had pulled out a book and placed the menu down.

"Uh, kid?"

"Yes?" He looked up from his book.

"You here with your parents or somethin?" The bartender raised an eyebrow?

"No. Does it matter?"

Sighing, the bartender was about to point out how children couldn't enter without an adult. That is until Matt pulled out all the money needed to cover his food, plus a generous tip.

"Coming right up!" Completely throwing the rules out, the bartender wrote down the order and walked it off to the kitchen.

Matt returned to reading his book in peace.

On this night however, another familiar trio were also nearby.

"Oi Ur, why are we out here tonight?" Gray asked his Master as the woman smiled.

"What's the matter? Scared of all the big hairy lumberjacks?" Her attempt at teasing worked as Gray responded with a quick "No!"

"We're here tonight because both of you have, by my standards, mastered the basics of Ice-Make." She said with pride in her voice.

"Really Master?" A young Lyon asked, clearly happy by the news.

"Mmhm. So dinner is on me tonight! Just order whatever you'd like." Her two students excitedly nodded as they looked over the menu. The woman would never admit it, but these two boys were like sons to her. After she lost Ultear, she never thought she'd smile this genuinely again.

As those three were celebrating recent progress, Matt continued the thing he'd been doing for over a year.

'Well at least this is fiction. I swear I'm gonna snap if I read too many more non-fiction novels. Maybe I should just skip the cookbooks next time... ah who the hell am I kidding, too much fun learning new recipes.' The boy sighed as he sat and read in peace.

Unfortunately said peace was interrupted by some recent arrivals. A large group of lumberjacks had walked into the building. The leader of the group walked over to the bar, but did a double take as he saw Matt.

"Scram brat, you're in my seat." His deep baritone voice caused the entire bar to silence.

"Hm?" Matt looked over his shoulder at the large man behind him. "How is it yours? I'm the one in it right now." The boy titled his head in confusion.

"It's where I always sit. Now scram."

"Just find another spot, not like there aren't any around." Matt gestured to some of the empty tables and barstools.

"Look kid, you obviously don't know how things work around here." The big man glared. "I work real hard cuttin' down trees that makes everything you see in this bar and all the homes around here. So I get to do whatever I want. Got it?" Matt blinked at the man.

"So you use a Lacrima powered saw a few times and leave all the hard work to craftsmen every day while you sit around with benefits and insurance expecting everyone to kiss the ground you walk on to satiate a massive ego that should honestly be nonexistent given how little and replaceable your role in society is?" His articulate description caused the onlookers jaws to drop in a mix of amazement and shock.

"Wh-what?" The big guy looked genuinely confused.

Matt adopted a flat expression. "You no like when tiny people make fun of not big job any other big man can do unga bunga." He spoke in an exaggerated, simple tone and curled his arms to scratch his head and armpit. A few muffled laughs could be heard from onlookers.

That seemed to get the man's blood to boil. "Hey! Just what the hell do you think you're sayin'?!" He shouted as his face rapidly turned red.

"What I'm saying is: you're not special, so stop acting like it." Matt turned back around and started reading again.

The large man shook with anger and grabbed a bottle. "I'll show you special!!"

Ur saw what was about to happen and stood up to stop it, but she was too late. The bottle collided with the back of Matt's head with extreme ferocity. She was about to run over, but stopped when she noticed a lack of, well, anything coming from Matt.

"Ha! That'll teach you!" The big man gloated as he suddenly felt his wrist with the broken head of a bottle in a vice grip.

Matt loudly stamped his book shut with his other hand as one held on firmly to the large man.

"Not only are you an idiot who thinks of himself as something special, but you hit like a damn wimp too." His eyes were obscured by his bangs while he spoke.

"Huh?" The large man was very confused. This wouldn't last long as Matt yanked down on his wrist, causing him to smash face-first into the counter. A disgusting crack signified his now destroyed nose.

While he writhed in agony on the floor, Matt stood atop the counter. "Bartender, make my meal to go."

The man nodded as his back was against the booze shelf, clearly not wanting to get on Matt's bad side.

Matt's gaze went to the posse of the man he'd just ruined the face of. "Listen up you Neanderthals, I'm only gonna say this once: either scram, or I'll make your buddy's pain here look like a pinprick in comparison." The boy rolled up his jacket sleeves.

Ur's eyes widened as she saw the Guild Stamp on his right forearm, she sat back down with a smirk.

"Pay attention boys, that kid's gonna show you how things are done outside this small country." She smiled as she saw the boy begin his rampage against the offenders.

The first man fell as Matt leapt from the counter and used both feet to dropkick him. He landed atop the felled man and immediately grabbed an empty chair.

Another Lumberjack threw a punch at Matt who trapped his wrist in the back of the chair. With a slight manipulation of the chair, a painful wrist lock was applied to the man.

He hopped in pain and followed Matt as a meat shield to use against the man's friends.

The fourth victim charged around his friend to get to Matt, unfortunately Matt had one thing he didn't: Jackie Chan movie knowledge.

Matt dodged the fist by flipping into the chair, causing the wrist lock victim to take a knee in pain as Matt sat on his arm. Number four retaliated by throwing another punch. Unfortunately for him, he didn't realize this wood was Oak and quickly recoiled in pain as the wood held strong when Matt lifted it up in a squat, furthering Wrist Locks pain.

Deciding to have some fun, Matt rolled back in the chair and sent Mr.. Lock into Sir Brokefist. Matt landed in his feet and spun the chair on its legs before sitting in it, facing the remaining lumberjacks with a smirk and gesturing for them to come forward.

The remaining trio of Lumberjacks immediately bailed, very intimidated by the sight of a nine year-old sitting there... _menacingly._

Matt had effortlessly dealt with them as Fairy Tail Mages made these guys look like complete wimps in comparison. Within moments of the fight starting all of the local offenders who challenged him were on the floor, groaning in pain.

He stood and placed the chair back. Matt dusted off his hands and approached the big guy who would definitely need reconstruction on that nose. The boy used the man's chest as a foot rest while he leaned on his knee.

"Really, I hope this experience enlightened you to how things are done everywhere else on Ishgar. Pick on someone your own size if you want success. Ya got that?" The boy gave the man his ultimatum.

"Yes!" He quickly said with a much more nasally voice, trying to avoid more pain.

"Yes what?" Matt's glare deepened significantly.

"Yes Sir!" The big man shouted out, completely destroying his pride.

"Good!" Matt smiled as he grabbed his ready-to-go food that had just been placed there and walked out.

'No one can overcome the Bat Glare.' He deviously grinned as he walked.

The boys with Ur stared in awe at the sight.

"Did... he even use magic?" Lyon uttered.

"Nope. He could have, but I got a feeling that wasn't his first bar brawl." Ur stifled a laugh thinking of the poor bastards that have been subjected to that kind of beating from the kid before.

"He was cool I guess." Gray said, a little dejected over the fact someone around his age was so much stronger than him.

"Gray, your clothes." Lyon dryly said.

"Aw man!"

"Gray I told you to knock that off!" Ur chided her student.

"It's all your fault though!" He retorted with anger.

The rest of the occupants laughed at the sight, happy that all the tension was being eased off.

"Oh yeah, I did visit the Land of Isvan that one time." Matt thought slowly remembering the experience. The country, if you could even call it that, was located north of Fiore, along the border with Seven.

Macao and Wakaba howled with laughter from the story.

"Yeah, those chumps ain't got nothin' on our fights!" Macao barely got out his words between laughs.

"You got that right!" Wakaba wiped some tears from his eyes.

The pair walked off, satisfied with the story. Matt turned to the boy after they were gone.

"I gotta ask though, why did you try so hard to remember? Not like that memory is anything major right?" Matt titled his head as he pondered the reason for the boy's insistence on recalling Matt.

"That's becase..." Gray gripped his pants tightly as he answered. "That was one of the last noteworthy memories I have with my master before Deliora attacked."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that guy. One of Zeref's Demons. Though he did suddenly just disappear to everyone's confusion didn't he?" Matt recalled reading that paper a couple weeks ago.

"Yeah…" The Ice Mage began to have tears openly flow down his face.

"Whoa! Easy there man. If you don't wanna talk about it that's fine by me." Matt raised his hands in an attempt to calm the boy. If there was anything he gave people their space with, it was touchy subjects like these.

"No." Gray shook his head, "Someone was bound to ask sooner or later." Gray wiped the tears from his eyes and snorted the dripping snot back up his nose. "The reason Deliora vanished was because my teacher used Iced Shell."

"Iced Shell?" The name seemed familiar to Matt.

"Yeah. It's a forbidden magic that converts the user's very essence into a seal for the target." Gray had asked Makarov for the hard specifics of the spell earlier, he wanted to know everything he could about that spell.

Matt's eyes widened, "Then that means."

Gray nodded, "Yeah. She died to protect me..." He bit his lip. "Deliora attacked my village y'know. I lost absolutely everything to that bastard. And yet, her last words to me were how she'd seal my darkness. But...!" His hands shook from how hard he gripped them. "What does it mean if she's gone too?! How could she seal my darkness if it's what took her in the first place?!" Tears streamed down the boys cheeks as his frustration boiled to the surface.

Matt looked at the child for a moment, recognizing that look in his eyes. The look of a scared and lost kid with nothing to his name.

"Simple." Matt's one word caused Gray to look at him in confusion. "By "sealing your darkness" she meant she'd take away the chains binding you to revenge and your past. Your teacher removed the elements holding you back from finding your own happiness." He bluntly spoke his opinion on the matter to Gray.

"But how could I be happy without her?!"

Matt sighed as he pulled from his own history to answer.

"Gray, people come and go in our lives. That's an inevitable fact we all have to come to terms with." Matt spoke of a bitter pill he had to swallow. "However, do you wanna know the one thing that always survives even if someone is gone forever?" Gray's silence prompted him to continue as he pointed to Gray's heart.

"Their bonds live on forever in there. The sands of time may wear away at our bodies, but it can never decay the connections we forge with others. Those same connections allow us to call someone not of blood family. Kinda like how you saw her right?" He smiled at the boy warmly. "Fairy Tail is no different. We may all beat the hell out of each other and mercilessly tease everyone in the guild over the dumbest things, but when push comes to shove, we all have each others backs. When one person is sad, so is everyone else. When one person is angry, you can definitely bet everyone else will be too." Matt placed a hand to his heart.

"The bonds we make here and everywhere else are as real as they come. So why did your teacher do what she did? It was in order to allow you to make these kinds of bonds with the freedom knowing that your past is just that: the past. The person you strive to be from now on is one of your own choosing. No Gray the Avenger or Gray the Victim. She allowed you to simply be: Gray Fullbuster." Matt smiled at the boy who wiped tears from his eyes. That speech had garnered a crowd who looked on in a mix of smiles and tears.

"Yeah! And now I'm Gray of Fairy Tail!" The boy smiled widely with the remnants of tears leaping from his face. As if removing the last of his self-imposed shackles to the past.

Makarov watched the scene from upstairs with a smile on his face.

Matt smiled at the boy at least gaining some semblance of moving on from his past. The question remained though: could Matt practice what he preached? Truthfully, even he had no idea if he had that in him. Maybe, just maybe, one day he would. That pipe dream is practically all Matt had to drive him forward.

And he had no intention of letting it go anytime soon.

**Welcome back once again! And a Merry Christmas to all of you!**

**So we finally get another addition to the main cast after a bit in the form of Gray! We still got a bit to go before the next member of the main cast joins. It's really weird how in the timeline after Natsu joins, the memorable faces just flood into the guild.**

**Now**** we finally get introduced to Matt's other primary magic. Before you ask, yes, I'm gonna bring in other weapons from different series. No, he won't be pulling out anything especially dumb for a _LONG _while. The current limits of the magic will be explained as time goes on, but it certainly won't be getting any stronger without outside assistance. You'll see what I mean later.**

**On another note: we hit one month of this story existing! That may seem rather insignificant to most people, but even getting past chapter 1 means a lot. All the positive reception certainly helps a lot too! I truly appreciate everyone that favorites and follows. I hope I can deliver a story that all of you will be happy with!**

**Next chapter will come out New Years day as a bit of kick off to 2020. Only a day off from my regular Thursday release schedule anyways.**

**As I leave you off with a little short in relation to today's chapter, I wish you all a wonderful day to be with family and friends. Until next time!**

**Omake: **You always remember your first (canon)

Like many other times in the Fairy Tail guild, a new member had recently been indoctrinated. Now to regular social groups, this individual would probably be casually chatting amongst his peers.

In Fairy Tail however-

A bottle colided with the back of Matt's head.

"I think the newbie is fitting in well, normally takes about three minutes before the fight escalates to thrown objects. He's gone three minutes and one second. That's a record."

Gildarts smirked at the sight while sitting next to Matt at the bar. He was the only guy that could sit by and enjoy the action from either the second floor or using his magic to destroy any flying objects heading his way.

"Oh how good for you-"

A chair broke to pieces against the boy's back, interrupting him. His face started to twitch a bit.

"What's the matter Little Buddy?" He smugly grinned. "Can't handle us grown ups and our ways?"

"Of course I ca-"

A table collided with his head next.

"..."

He remained silent and decided to enjoy the chocolate cake he'd gotten from a really nice place in town. Well, that is until a body collided into Matt, smashing his head into the desert. For the record, it tasted delicious even as mush.

Gildarts went to comment, but saw the look in Matt's eyes and scurried up to the second floor.

"I hope you all realize."

He gripped the head of the newly aquired human weapon atop him.

"**THIS IS WAR!!"**

What followed next was the unspoken rule amongst the guild: **_NEVER, _**under **_ANY_** circumstances, interrupt Matt when he eats sweets. Untold levels of pain shall follow.

Little did he know this bad habit of his was secretly contagious. But that is another story for another day.


	7. Monkey See, Monkey Burn

**Welcome back my magnificent readers! It's time for another installment of "SK Responds to Comments and Tries Not to Give Away the Plot!**

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**.**

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**The title is a work in progress.**

**PixelatedWriter342: **Well this chapter will certainly answer how fast Matt will at the very least become competent at this Magic. As for your question, yes and no... but also yes and no... and maybe, just maybe, yes and no. Unfortunately the true reveal of _all_ the big questions won't come until after Tartaros and before Alvarez in another original arc. Fortunately, Matt will have a massive development in the final arc of the pre-canon chapters that'll definitely be his main influence until we reach that point. I know it's significantly out there, but who's to say I won't leave some breadcrumbs to the truth out there. This is the part where I'd put a winky face emoji but I'm too old to make it not awkward so...

**Middernacht**: Whoa whoa! Slow down there buddy, we aren't gonna get to those behemoths for a good while.

**With that over and done with, I shall see you all after this chapter. Enjoy!**

"276."

**thunk**

"277."

**thunk**

"278."

**thunk**

Matt sat on the familiar stump of his little training area. He was creating knife replicas ad nauseam after finally making a perfect copy after three months of training. When he finally made a perfect replica, he yelled in joy.

Normally this process probably would've taken even him a year. Fortunately the one thing Matt quickly realized that separated himself from practically every other mage in the world: he lacked the pride that held back your average mage from exploring every option.

Mages take extreme pride in their magic, especially if they're taught it by someone, believing that if it isn't easy or it takes far more effort than necessary, it isn't worth learning. For Matt, he quickly realized the problem in trying to perfectly replicate materials he didn't know was the fact he did not know anything about them... so he got to know them... intimately.

Matt slept with a log of Oak and a bar of iron every day these past 3 months. He spent at minimum, around five hours each day tasting each material and writing down how it tasted, how it felt, smelt, how much it weighed, how fast it fell to the ground and numerous other ideas. Then he tested the strength and durability of each through various methods such as heating, freezing, crushing, bending, rotting and every other method his brain could even fathom.

The number of times he'd practically vomited from the taste and smell definitely killed any remaining pride he had for himself. It didn't help he also even bathed with the materials to make sure their presence was always in sight. The irony of this magic being similar to a certain someone who practically had a weapon fetish that went far enough to be the origin of his soul and Matt's subsequent equivalent obsession with these materials was not lost to the boy.

After this, he then spent another eight hours, at minimum, every day creating the knife. He'd use branches, rocks, ice and even his own flesh to test the strength and sharpness of the knife. The bags under Matt's eyes had easily quadrupled in how blatantly visible they were from this process.

Now thanks to the process of familiarizing himself with it so much from the materials to the thousands upon thiusands of knife copies, he could make it with a thought. In the process he was also working on knife throwing... and dodging at points from the blades shattering on contact with the wood. The tree across from him was good practice since it too was Oak like most of the trees on Magnolia's western side.

Matt's concentrated breaths carried some mist with them. Everything was lightly covered in snow as the new year approached.

"299." He grabbed the knife and then threw it. The blade stuck into the tree by a solid inch. Afterwards it disappeared into purple sparkles.

"300." He repeated the process once more and afterwards, lowered his arm and caught his breath. This process also proved to be decent stamina training both physically and magically.

"Now, let's see how that all worked out." Once more he raised his arm.

'Kitchen Knife.' Immediately after that thought, the familiar blade appeared in his palm as he felt the power flow from his hand. He grabbed his first perfect copy with the other. 'Same weight. Same thickness. Same sheen.' He adjusted their position. 'Same edge and sharpness too.' Then he threw both into a fresh tree. Both blades sunk in cleanly and when he pulled them out, were undamaged. Matt smiled at the sight.

"I love it when work pays off." He made them both disappear before sitting back down on his stump. Relief that his absolutely insane idea bore fruit, even if it cost him his sense of already minimal pride and a good portion of his sanity on top of his public image being extremely stained.

'Well. Now that I've got those down, I should probably try something a bit bigger. And I have just the things in mind.'

Matt breathed in deeply before exhaling and closing his eyes. This time both hands were outstretched.

'Picture the shape of the blades. Short and curved like a scimitar. The material is iron. Now picture the look of them. The handles are made of Oak. The handles are wrapped in black colored leather. Its hilt and guard are made of brass. One blade is entirely black with a red interconnected octagonal design. The other blade is entirely white in color. They both posses a Yin Yang just above the guard. The former blade has a white spike-shape from the Yin Yang while the latter blade has a black one of the shame dimensions on both. Both posses these on both sides of the blade.'

These and many more thoughts ran though his head. Thankfully some details could be skipped as he didn't need to specify things like the taste, durability, color and other various things of the main materials.

After a solid minute of concentrating and picturing them to the perfect detail, Matt closed his hands around the two new blades he grasped.

'Heavier than I thought.' He took a few practice swings. 'Well gravity and wind resistance aren't breaking them, so the material ain't 100 percent bad.' He set one sword down and grabbed a nearby branch. Matt slashes at the branch with the sword, cleaving it in two without any problems. The boy seemed genuinely surprised by that. Fortunately, the other blade replicated that same feat.

"Holy crap. I did it on the first go." Staring in awe of his creations, a smile made its way to his face.

Though said smile immediately faded as he saw spiderweb cracks on the blades.

"So one hard swing is the limit huh?" He felt the grips harder. The leather was already tearing and the wood splintering. The brass was fine since it was pure decoration, but annoyingly loose when he wiggled it.

Matt sighed and dispelled the blades. He should've expected this in all honesty. Making a knife was a whole different beast from a short sword. More weight, harder curve, different dimensions, extra materials and numerous other things made it painfully obvious complex shapes are much harder for this magic to do quickly. An idea sparked in his head with that thought, but he put it in a folder for later analysis.

After a moment, Matt looked at his hands with a scowl. Soon it was replaced by a look of determination as he once again repeated the process of constant copies like he did with the knife.

After another four days of that and reaching satisfactory results after around ten thousand copies, Matt headed back to the guild with his head held high. Decorations for Christmas had been placed all over the Guild and town. Eggnog, Hot Chocolate and Alcohol were the popular drinks of the time. Sitting down at his usual bar seat, Matt stared at his hands with a smile.

"I assume it went well." Makarov was sat atop the counter by Matt.

Instead of answering with his words, Matt created a knife and handed it to Makarov. The old man inspected it and let out a satisfactory nod.

"You've done well. I can tell you put in a lot of effort into this."

"Yeah, and I think it's time to put it to the test." Matt turned and walked over to the familiar board where jobs were posted. He looked for a moment and picked one out. The boy then walked over to Makarov and handed him the paper.

Makarov gazed at the paper and looked Matt in the eyes afterwards.

"Are you sure? I want to make sure you can safely work before going out again."

Knowing he could physically fight was one thing, it was another if he could mentally handle it.

"Never gonna know unless I just do it." Confidently, Matt spoke to the Master.

After a moment of thought, Makarov sighed and handed the paper back to him.

"Just be safe alright?"

Matt nodded and immediately set out. He opted to not bring his Deck with him. This was a job to prove to himself that he could stand on his own two feet if push came to shove. It was a likely brash decision, but it was also one Matt felt needed to be made.

'I can't let that night haunt me forever. Gotta stand up and fight back if I wanna get anywhere.' Matt's fist clenched as he continued on his march to a small village about five miles away.

The job he grabbed was a C-Class request to take care of a Vulcan problem. 'Haven't faced those bastards since I first got here.' The boy smirked. "Time for some payback."

* * *

"The client said the pack normally rested around here." Walking through the thick brush of the cold woods, Matt eyed a clearing with a large cave entrance. "Bingo." Matt smirked as he hid in the bushes and observed the area.

'Looks like no one's home.' Not a sound came from the cave. 'Well, that, or they're sleeping about five hours early based on normal habits. So that's a no to that.' Vulcan's were strikingly simple creatures. They desired food, sleep and sex. Oddly though they'd settle for any female, Vulcan or Human. There were some damning horror stories about what they've done before to captives.

Some movement to the side caused Matt to lower his presence even furthur. A group of four Vulcan's came out of the treeline with large amounts of food and without question, the worst possible thing for the mission.

"Someone please help me!" One Vulcan had a small girl draped over its shoulder. She kicked and pounded at the large beast with all her might to no avail.

'Shit. This just went from seek and destroy to a rescue operation.' Matt bit his lip in frustration. Covering his own ass was already gonna be difficult with this numbers game, however adding in an extra body for him to protect? Matt smiled bitterly. 'Well I did wanna prove myself. Damn you Murphy.'

His expression turned into an observant one as he took in every detail he could. 'Two of them look decently tired, one of them looks ready to pass out and the last one seems perfectly fine.' A plan formulated in his head as the Vulcan's entered the cave with the stolen goods, and girl, in tow.

"Good haul today." The one who didn't look tired at all placed his large crate of vegetables down.

"Yup..." Yawning loudly, one Vulcan placed his crate down and walked off to a part of the cave for sleep.

"Good dinner for later too." A malicious smile appeared on the Vulcan carrying the girl. She stifled her cries of abject horror in realization of what they meant by that.

The last Vulcan just placed his crate down and started having some of the food.

A loud whistle coming from the entrance echoed from the front to the back of the underground labyrinth.

"Hey you oversized stupid perverts! Bet you don't have the balls to fight someone a third your size!" Matt shouted into the cave.

The awake Vulcans heard the yell and charged out to face Matt.

'Well I got their attention, time for part 2.' Smirking, Matt ran off as the Vulcan's gave chase. 'On a physical level I'm no match. But these guys aren't the brightest, so I'll just have to be crafty.' Matt dove behind a large bush as the Vulcan's stopped not far from him.

"Urg. Elderberries, can't smell little person at all now." Groaning, the Vulcan fanned his face. The smell of the ripe berries was not a pleasant one to beings with a strong sense of it.

"Split up." The other beasts nodded as they ran off in different directions.

'And now the hunters, shall become the hunted.' Matt maliciously smiled as he grabbed a handful of the berries.

The first Vulcan had come to a stop by the riverbank. It gazed around and scratched its head.

"No mean Tiny Person here either." It gazed down to see some blueberries by its feet and picked up the handful and devoured them. However, after swallowing it immediately began to claw at its throat with its eyes like saucers as foam rose from its mouth. The beasts eyes rolled into the back of its head before it dropped, dead.

Matt walked over and confirmed the kill by stabbing it in the head with a knife.

'Good thing I decided to look at that Illusion Magic book a bit.' He wiped the blood off the blade using the carcass' fur. 'Still, could only change the color of those berries and cover the smell. At least the big guy was too dumb to notice those things had cyanide in them before swallowing.' The boy began to walk off.

Elderberries normally only had cyanide in the roots, stems and like. However, these elderberries, which were the size of grapes, had the stuff directly in them. In fact one berry contained enough of the stuff to kill a man about fifteen times over.

'Seriously, and those guys wonder why I said I'll never drink. Ain't touching anything that had cyanide in it. Like how I never ate canned food back in my world because of those horror stories of people getting some that had friggin' Botulinum in them.' Matt's faced grimaced at the thought. Magical purification or not, founded paranoia was still legitimate even in another world.

Next up was a Vulcan that had decided to take a nap under a tree. It was the one who looked ready to fall asleep any second that had Matt seen earlier.

"Oh no! A big scary Vulcan that will eat me! Whatever will I do?!" Matt screamed in an overdramatic manner to stir the sleeping gorilla abomination.

Its eyes shot open as it spotted the boy down a trail. Smirking at future dinner, it gave chase despite it's earlier tiredness. The chase didn't last long as Matt looked at it in fake terror with his back to a large ravine.

"No! Please Mr. Vulcan, don't eat me!" He raised his arms to cover his face.

"Too late Little Person." Licking its lips, it raised its hand to strike.

Matt smirked in victory as the fool had fallen for his trap! That wasn't a card unfortunately.

A hollow thunking noise was heard as the Vulcan's foot brushed against something on the ground. It's attention was turned to an egg on the ground. The big monster picked it up to inspect it. That didn't last long as a loud screeching echoed across the ravine.

The Vulcan looked up to see a colossal bird flying towards him. He raised his arms to fight, but the bird clawed and pecked at him. In an attempt to get away, the fool walked right off the slippery edge and fell to his demise.

Matt gazed over the ledge. 'Man this makes me miss those Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons. Hell I just miss good cartoons in general. TV here sucks.' The boy groaned as he walked off into the forest for target number three.

TV here was... odd. Live broadcasts only existed in limited manners, meaning shows and such were pre-recorded and sold individually with their own Lacrima.

'All that's ever made are friggin soaps! I don't care about Janice and her husband who was actually magically disguised and the person being disguised was actually his evil twin!' Kicking a pinecone in frustration at the thought. The boy slumped his shoulders with a sigh. 'I hate that Cana makes me watch that crap with the other Church Kids.'

Next up was the other halfway asleep Vulcan that had personally grabbed the young girl. This one was by a more throughly frozen section of the forest. It saw small tracks in the snow and followed them. The beast grinned when he saw Matt who looked over in shock.

"Shit!" He cursed as he ran through the forest, the beast giving chase. Said chase didn't last long as the furthur into the area they went, the deeper the snow. When it was knee-high for Matt, he turned around and threw a knife at the Vulcan who easily dodged.

He tried to escape, but the snow slowed him significantly. Fortunately for the Vulcan, this level of snow was nothing. And as he drew closer, he noticed the grin on Matt's face as the boy had suddenly stopped running.

"Y'know I've gotten pretty good at throwing knives." He stated with a step to his right. "I've also gotten really good as determining where the weakest spots in trees are too. And these softwood ones are especially weak with all this snow."

Tilting its head in confusion, the Vulcan didn't realize what was happening until a large shadow was casted from behind him. It didn't even turn around fully before being crushed by a fallen tree.

The boy walked off from the site. 'Y'know I should've yelled timber or something. Actually if a tree falls on top of a Vulcan in a forest with no one around does the tree or the Vulcan make the noise? And can said noise be heard?' He stopped in his tracks. 'Questions for later experimentation.' Satisfied with his answer, he went off to search for the final Vulcan.

What the boy didn't know is that the final Vulcan was much closer than he knew. Stalking him from the trees and making sure to remain as quiet as possible. The beast followed Matt, waiting for it's time to pounce.

'Where the hell is this bastard?' Matt inwardly growled as he made his way closer to the cave. 'Haven't seen any fresh tracks or signs of him. Almost like he's not... on... the ground.' Without stopping, Matt's expression sharpened as he realized what was happening now.

Brushing by some bushes, Matt reached into his jacket pocket and quickly made a knife before throwing it behind him towards the trees. The harsh shaking of one confirmed his theory. Running to find a better area, the Vulcan landed right behind him and gave chase.

Unfortunately for Matt, he was getting physically exhausted from all the climbing, running around and scouting he did to set his traps. So when he stumbled and was lifted by the scruff, he wasn't too shocked.

"Too bad Little Man. Came close, but me too smart for you."

Matt growled as he tried to look around and fortunately found his out. A bitter chortle escape his lips. 'That plan is absolutely fucking crazy. In fact I don't even know if it's true, I only saw it in a manga. However, given everything up to this point...'

As the beast opened its mouth to start eating Matt, the boy reached into his pocket and pulled out some elderberries. The Vulcan saw this and closed its mouth before smirking as if to say "Nice try." However, imagine its shock as Matt smiled and crushed the berries in his hand and flung the juices into the face of the beast.

He was dropped like a sack as the beast roared in pain from the juices getting in his eyes. Matt began running towards a large hole burrowed into the side of a hill.

"Goddamnit all! I'm immortal!!!" Matt dove head-first into the hole. His cry dissipating within its confines.

After a moment, the Vulcan regained decent enough vision to give chase. It stopped in front of the hole and let out a deafening roar into it. Though, that would unfortunately be its first and last mistake.

A colossal bear ran out of the hole with a roar of fury. The Vulcan couldn't even respond as it had its throat ripped out by the enraged animal. As the bear continued to maul the beast, Matt sat in the cave with a small cub in his lap.

"Well damn, even I didn't think that'd work."

The cub let out a tiny roar.

"I know right? I guess I really do have the power of God and Anime on my side." Matt made a proud face.

"..." The bear looked at him blankly. Matt began to sweat nervously until he broke.

"Shit. That was so bad even a baby bear thinks I'm an idiot." Matt lowered his head in depression.

A small roar.

"Oh shut up, you're just lucky you get to keep your mama you adorable bastard." Matt chided the bear.

* * *

After an awkward exit from the Bear Den, that thing _really _liked Vulcan, Matt approached the cave and entered. The pitter patter of feet running told him to girl was still alive, he sighed in relief.

"It's alright to come out. I took care of them all." Matt spoke into the cave as he looked around. He saw a girl poke her head out from behind a food crate. She couldn't be any older than 6 by the looks of things.

"Stay back. I know Vulcans can possess people." She lightly threatened, clearly knowing her words wouldn't mean anything to a real Vulcan.

"Oh yeah, I guess they can huh?" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly before an idea came to him. "Then how about you ask me something only a person would know?" Matt smiled and pointed at himself.

The girl was silent for a moment. "What's the name of the country we're in?"

"Fiore."

"What color is my hair?"

Matt squinted to see better in the diminished light. "Purple."

"What's the name of Julia's husband?"

"Antonio. Unless you mean the evil twin?" Matt asked causing the girl to sigh in relief. "Wait! Damnit I hate that I know that!!" He clawed at his head in frustration. This stopped however upon hearing laughter coming from the girl.

"Yup. You're a human." The girl said before running to him and hugging him tightly. "It was so scary." She shook as her hug tightened. Matt felt a wet spot form from where her head was on his torso. He lightly smiled and returned the hug.

"It's alright now. You're safe and nothing can hurt you. Especially since I'm here y'know!" Matt smiled and winked at the girl once again making her laugh. "Now c'mon, let's get you back home." His words made her look down dejectedly. "What's wrong?"

More tears began to flow from the girls face as she tried to repress some sobs. That face she made was very familiar to Matt. It was one of a person who didn't have a home they could go to. Instead of talking, Matt crouched down and embraced the girl.

"It's alright. Let it all out." He warmly spoke with his embrace.

The girl's expression turned to shock, but quickly morphed and she tightly held onto him and uncontrollably sobbed into his shoulder. Her burden of bottling up her grief and loss exploded out as she desperately held onto Matt. Probably the first person who's talked to her like this since she lost everything. Matt wouldn't say it, but her grip did hurt a bit. He knew why though, she was absolutely terrified that the first person she's opened up to would leave like all the others did.

After a couple of moments, the well dried up as her loud sobs turned into sniffles. Her grip didn't loosen however. Though Matt could care less. As long she she needed it, he'd crouch there and let her vent. His sudden stroking of her head caused her to stiffen momentarily, before she melted into the embrace.

Another minute passed before she let go and wiped her face of tears.

"You alright?" He asked her with evident concern.

She wordlessly nodded and sniffed.

"C'mon then, let's go." He stood up as they walked side-by-side. Matt was a little surprised when he felt the girl grab his hand with her own, he just rolled with it and closed his hand around hers.

As they walked out of the cave, Matt finally reflected on the job. 'Y'know they took an awful lot of food. Even if there are four of them, it's a bit ridiculous for them to eat that much for as often as they attack.' Matt's walking slowed to the confusion of the girl. 'It's almost like… there… was… another.' His eyes widened as a indescribably loud roar came out of the cave.

"Run." He spoke to the girl who shook at his words. His expression deadly serious as he glared into the cave. When he noticed she was still there, he tried again. "RUN!" She nodded and ran at full speed into the woods.

With that problem solved, now came the hard part. The sound of incredibly loud stomping echoed from the cave. You could probably hear them a good hundred feet away outside the monsters den.

Summoning Kanshou and Bakuya, Matt took a stance. 'Damn shame I haven't really practiced swordsmanship.' He grimaced as the behemoth of a Vulcan came closer and closer. What surprised him is when the noises stopped. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head as he nervously swallowed.

The crashing noise of the ground being shot up in front of him made Matt bare his teeth. His expression faltered slightly as he took in the true size of the monster that had broke through the ceiling of the cave with a single jump.

It had to be at least three times the size of the Vulcan's Matt dealt with. Its body was covered in muscles that could probably rival steel in durability and strength. The hair on it was a sickly purple with the skin being a shade of black similar to the void.

'Okay. May~be I should've brought my Deck.' Chiding his own lack of foresight, Matt began to think of any way he could kill this monster. And most of them were duds of plans. 'Well, y'know what they say: trial by fire.'

Matt leapt off the rocks by the cave's entrance to meet the beast midair. He threw Bakuya at it, which the beast didn't even bother to block. Finding out why, the blade bounced off harmlessly and fractured midair.

"Tch." Clicking his tongue, Matt resummoned the thrown sword. 'Only six places I can wound it then with just these.' The boy sweated as he realized five of them were all on the face of that behemoth. 'Yup. Scumbag route it is.' Without hesitation, Matt had decided on his next plan.

Beginning his descent to the ground after using all his strength to kick off a rock, Matt looked around for anything that could assist him. He smiled uneasily as he spotted something that would absolutely help him, or kill him before the Vulcan. Odds were a bit mixed.

Without a better option, Matt maneuvered his fall towards a specific tree. The Vulcan in hot pursuit, simply fell through the trees without concern. As soon as he hit the ground, he kicked off in the direction of Matt who had used his blades to dig into a tree and spin around the trunk to break his fall.

Matt stopped in the middle of the path after leaping from the newly scarred tree, the Vulcan was using said path to charge at him. He gripped his sword tightly before he threw it. However instead of coming at him like the Vulcan expected, it flew up above his head.

Mistaking this for a screw up, the Vulcan smiled widely in victory. In its excitement, it failed to notice the falling object that collided with its head. The Vulcan barely noticed this happened if it wasn't for a buzzing noise to take hold of his hearing. Before it could even gaze up, a swarm of massive Hornets began attacking it.

'Fiorian Giant Hornets. Nasty fuckers with serious neurotoxin in their stings. A group of five could kill a man in under a minute. Fortunately these guys oddly only ever come out in Winter, so they rarely attack people. Unfortunately for that guy, he's got about 100 of them on his ass.' However Matt's expression turned into pure shock as the Vulcan was simply annoyed by them. He grabbed one between his fingers and ate it.

'Oi oi, you shittin' me?! This guy's skin is thick enough to ignore their stings?!'

Realizing he had limited time, Matt charged at the beast with a fresh pair of his blades. Due to enjoying the meal, it failed to notice Matt slide between its legs. What it did notice was an indescribably painful sensation down south.

'Hurts me as much as it hurts him… okay that's a lie.' Matt grimaced as he shoved a sword right into the place where the sun don't shine.

A massive roar of pain left the Vulcan's mouth as it leapt up. The ice causing it to slip and fall on the landing, sending the blade even deeper. Capitalizing, Matt created two knives and mounted its head.

"Have this you overgrown fuck!" The boy stabbed the blades into its ears. Once again, it roared in pain. Unfortunately Matt was seated by its flailing arms as he dismounted. He landed on a pile of snow clutching his right arm as it made contact with the beasts own.

'Are you serious?! One swipe and my arm is busted?!' He inspected the damage closer and realized it wasn't broken, his arm had been dislocated from the shoulder based on the very unnatural angle it was at.

Gazing over at the monster who was busy flailing around in pain, causing its red blood to splatter everywhere, Matt made his way over to a tree.

'Okay Matt, you've seen it done before. Just one good push against something and it'll pop right back in… I hate my job sometimes.' Matt slammed his shoulder into the tree and yelled in pain with a pop. Feeling returned to the limb slowly. It wasn't quick enough however as the Vulcan began to regain its senses.

'Alright. No way that thing is gonna let me get close again to hit its eyes. And I doubt the mouth is viable at this point. Shit. Is there anything I can do?' Matt realized the skin was just too tough for him to cut through. 'Wait. Cut through… that's it!' Quickly finding a place to hide, Matt prepared his counterattack.

The Vulcan removed the knives in its ears and the sword lodged in its newly ripped hole. Blood poured from the wounds but quickly clogged up. It's now bloodshot red eyes looked around for the person that did this. Once it saw a path in the snow a few dozen feet away, it charged in that direction. To the beast's dismay, the trail had spontaneously ended without any sign of where the boy went.

Despite the impressive intelligence it possessed, it didn't realize the trail only ended because Matt backtracked his steps and leapt onto a tree which he had then climbed.

'Visualize the shape.' Purple Magic Power coursed over Matt's left hand. 'The bodies material is Ebony-colored Oak.' The Power began to take a shape. 'The string is made of pure magic.' The Magic Power began to solidify. 'A handle is in the center of the body, on the side opposite of the string. An elongated hexagon guards the opposite end, large enough to cover the hand with its sides bending inwards.' The light of the Magic Power intensified one last time. 'There!'

Matt opened his eyes and grasped the bow in his hand. He stood and raised the bow. With his free hand he created an elongated version of Kanshou. It didn't need to last more than one hit. He set the blade like an arrow and as he drew it, the blade stretched and thinned out to look more like an arrow thanks to the weapons ultimately just being magic power and not true metal and wood.

When he had a clear shot of the creature, he fired the arrow. It flew off far faster than Matt expected it to. A miniature sonic boom blasted off behind the arrow as it closed the gap to the Vulcan. The creature couldn't even react as if was run through by the arrow. It stuck into his chest clean through and stuck out through its back. With its eyes rolling into the back of its head, the Vulcan fell to its knees and collapsed.

Matt gazed at the bow which was pretty thoroughly destroyed. The magic string was split, the wood was cracked from top to bottom and it shifted in multiple areas as Matt held it.

He gazed at the Vulcan, when he didn't see the chest move, Matt knew he had successfully killed it.

Sighing in relief, Matt climbed down after dispelling the bow. He rolled his right arm a bit, still feeling stiff. While walking towards the trail to exit the woods, he noticed a white ribbon attached atop a white headband on the ground. Tilting his head, he decided to grab it, seeing as it might belong to someone. After pocketing it, Matt pressed on.

As he approached the exit to the woods, a familiar figure ran over and hugged him tightly.

"Please! Please tell me its you!" The poor girl pleaded and begged that it was Matt and not that monster.

Smiling, Matt patted her head. "Yeah, its me." He could visibly see the tension leave her body.

"Is… is it dead?" She asked him, avoiding his eyes.

"Yeah. He won't bother anyone ever again." He nodded at her.

As the two embraced, a sudden feeling hit Matt's senses, setting off massive alarms. He grabbed the girl and leapt forward. Even if he barely dodged being crushed, the sheer force of the attack still flung him forward and made him break through a nearby fence to a farm. He held the girl tightly as he skidded across the ground like a stone. Eventually he stopped and groggily looked over to where the attack came from.

That damn Vulcan was _still _alive, however it wasn't in good shape. Blood poured from its mouth and down its chest. Ironically, the sword was the only thing keeping it alive now as it put pressure on the wound. Even if the top and back of it had mostly broken off.

Matt gazed down to see the girl a little roughed up, but fine. He wasn't so lucky on the other hand. Blood poured down his head from a wound, his back was roughed up from skidding on the ground and a large piece of wood was impaled into his shin. The boy needed to act, and it needed to be fast.

"Hey. What's your name?" He asked her while still looking at the Vulcan.

"Huh?" She was still somewhat groggy.

"Your name."

"K-Kagura Mikazuchi." The girl rubbed her head.

"Kagura, I need you to head to Magnolia for me. Do you know where that is?"

The shaking of her head in his arms answered that.

"Just follow that road to the right. If you run as fast as you can, you'll make it there in an hour. Once there, look for a Guild called Fairy Tail. Tell them Matt sent you. I know they'll take care of you." His gaze didn't leave the Vulcan who stumbled and slowly approached.

"But what about you?!" The girl cried out, realizing what was happening.

"Heh." Matt smiled weakly. "I'll hold that big guy off so you can get there safely." Truthfully Matt was trying his absolute damndest to not scream in horror as the Shadow and Vulcan had overlapped. The faint aroma of burning wood, alcohol and blood filled his nostrils as fire surrounded the monstrosity slowly approaching him.

As the Vulcan dropped to a knee to cough up blood, Matt's mind had broken free enough from the trauma to let him yell out. "Now go, run!!"

To Matt's shock the girl didn't even move from his subtly shaking arms.

"Are you listening?! I'm telling you to run!" He ordered the girl.

"No." She stated with a surprising resolve.

"What?" Matt was genuinely dumbfounded by the girl's sudden attitude shift.

"I... don't wanna run anymore." Kagura tightly gripped Matt's shirt. "I'm sick of it! I'm sick of people dying!" Tears ran down her cheeks as her eyes were obscured by shadows. Matt was stunned by her words.

Kagura stood up and went in front of Matt protectively.

"Hey you big bully!" She shouted at the Vulcan. "Leave us alone!!" As the words left her mouth an odd distortion of space appeared above the Vulcan and caused him, and the earth, the be crushed down by a heavy force.

'She's a Mage!?' Matt stared in shock as the girl used magic for the first time. After a moment, she collapsed into Matt's arms, unconscious. He smiled proudly at her will to protect. Her act fully snapping him out of his flashback. The sound of spilling liquid called his attention over to the Vulcan.

Kagura's attack had caused the arrow sword to be pushed down lower towards its stomach, making the wound much larger and allowing blood to leak out by the gallon. Even despite this and the now massive blood loss, the Vulcan kept going towards them, hellbent on killing them no matter the cost.

'Oh come on! Just die you bastard!' Matt held Kagura tightly as he tried to think of something, anything that could save them.

'Do you hate it?' A voice spoke in Matt's head.

"What?" He voiced out loud and looked around.

'Do you hate how now matter what you do and how hard you try, this world beats you down mercilessly?' Matt reminded silent at the voice's words for a moment before answering.

"Yes..." Matt responded as if it was obvious. He was so damn sick of this crap. First he's almost eaten the second he arrives in this world he knows nothing about. Then he has to deal with that bastard Ivan who almost killed him over a girl in a crystal. After that was that night in Wicker Man that still prevents him from sleeping soundly. And now it's this fucking unkillable Vulcan. Every time he feels close to something worth a damn, it gets stretched furthur away or stomped to dust. And Matt was at his limit.

'Good.' The voice cooed. 'Turn that anger and desire to live into a weapon! A weapon to shatter the illusions of this world that deem your suffering as worthy amusement!'

Man stretched out his hand. A blinding red light shined from his palm.

'Now, call out my name so that we may bare our fangs to this world!'

"Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Matt roared as the light turned into a card. His first new one in over a year. The card shot up and turned into a massive pitch-black dragon.

Said dragon let out a mighty roar that could be heard for miles. All wildlife within the area fled for their lives from the mere presence of the dragon.

Looking up at the Dragon, the Vulcan felt a primal sense of paralyzing fear.

"Destroy him Red-Eyes. Inferno Fire Blast!" The dragon responded to Matt's words by charging a massive ball of dark fire in its mouth before unleashing it on the beast. A massive pillar of the fire pierced the sky as the Vulcan was helplessly trapped within. It was reduced to ashes in mere seconds of exposure to the flame.

Red-Eyes let out a triumphant roar and returned to its card form. Matt stared at the card that appeared in his hand, breathing heavily from his exhaustion.

"I see, so I still have room to grow there as well too huh?" Letting out a bitter smile, Matt pocketed the card and lifted Kagura into a piggyback carry. "Geez, you're heavier than you look." Matt let out a dry laugh. "Well, it's either that or I'm just that exhausted... probably the latter."

With one more sigh, Matt began to hobble his way back home.

**Welcome back once again**** and Happy New Years! I got a lot planned for this story so look forward to what I got in store for 2020! Especially since I'm the type to be up at 3 AM editing this chapter before posting it after playing some gacha... god I am a degenerate.**

**Off-topic for a moment: god the FGO GSSR killed me with Amakusa. Then I proceed to get the Neet, my first five star assassin (kill me), and was very confused as to how I should feel. Then I rolled in Pokemon Masters and got Cynthia, Lance and Hilda in like 12k gems so I definitely ended it on a high note. (feel free to DM me if you wanna add me in either).**

**Back on topic!**** So, we had quite a bit happen this chapter. First off was Matt's growth with his new magic. It would certainly prove deadly down the line if a regular mage used it, but it will be even more deadly in the hands of a thinker like Matt.**

**In regards to his quick growth with it, mind you everything he made that wasn't a knife broke apart very easily. This is gonna be the process for these complex weapons with different shapes and materials matt will work on for a while. He's still got a ways to go before he masters it after all.**

**Also demonstrated was Matt's use of Illusions. He's not really the type to make huge grandiose one's, so his application will be far more subtle and not quite as powerful in comparison to the likes of Mavis. After all it's a support magic for him, not a offensive one... for now.**

**We also had the appearance of yet another iconic monster from Yugioh! Red-Eyes was always a favorite of mine so I'm really excited to have him in now.** **We aren't gonna see Darkness, Metal or Darkness Metal yet, but they will appear eventually.**

**One thing I think I've failed to mention specifics for so far, is the differences between the initial summons of Dark Magician and Red-Eyes in comparison to the others.**

**As mentioned in Chapter 2, these monster's can be a bit picky with choosing their master. Especially the more powerful ones. So this means for any monster above six stars, who are easily strong enough to feel the need to be picky, Matt has to essentially prove himself worthy to them.**

**Easier said than done for some Monsters, but it also means his connection with them is _far _deeper than with the other spirits. These ones are basically responding to the cries of his very soul after all. That's already like... second dimensional base.**

**Now for the main talking point of this chapter: Kagura. I honestly really like her character and with this opportunity in the timeline to grab her before canon, I took it.** **She will naturally have differences from the version we all know given the time frame, so I'm gonna have some fun as we proceed through this story.**

**One really fun aspect to Matt not knowing anything about the show is that he has no clue if he's destroying canon or not. Though I doubt he could care less even if he did** **given his mere influence by just being there already.**

**Kagura will definitely play a role in Matt's development down the line just as he will for her own. So please look forward to that ****as this story continues.**

**Our next chapter is gonna be a big one as it'll show the full level of strength Matt is at right now. Make sure you tune in as it'll definitely be an exciting chapter.**

**Until next time, I bid you all adieu!**


	8. Battle! The Generations Clash!

**Hello my wonderful readers! Once again we have some questions that need answerin'!**

**Scaunders:**Yeah, I can understand the impatience. However what must be kept in mind is A: Matt is learning this from scratch as where most other characters we know already started at a intermediate level upon introduction in the manga. B: The magic is also a slow burn to learn. Some more detail is given into some mechanics, but most Wizard's kinda glossed over it since that's all the potential they saw. Hopefully I show off some cool things this chapter that make the magic a fun read!

**ULTIMATE PETER: **Okay, someone was bound to ask this question at some point as this is Fairy Tail where ships make up a solid third of the fandoms discussions. So, right now in the story romance will not be a real focus. The farthest any "romance" will really go pre-canon is the crush phase. Yes some pairings will persist like Natsu/Lucy, Gajeel/Levy. Truthfully I'm still in the rough planning process of canon, so _maybe_ things will change like with Juvia. Truthfully I'm kinda just seeing how people will treat my attempts at romantic development before I really start pinning things down.

**Okay! So with that done, I hope you all enjoy!**

Matt walked out into the guild early in the morning. His arms raised over his head as he stretched and yawned. He'd not even changed from his typical pajamas of purple shorts, white shirt and black socks. Bandages were still wrapped around his right shin due to the injury that Vulcan Behemoth caused a couple weeks ago.

Said Vulcan wasn't actually part of the job he took. Turns out that big guy was an A-class job that no one had taken in about a year. So Matt got paid for two jobs which was quite nice. It wasn't like his funds were low even after his... odd training. In fact it was quite the opposite. He paid rent at the guild hall with manual labor, so that saved him a lot of money. There was also the Wicker Man S-class job he got 80% of the profits for from Gildarts considering Matt took out everyone sans the Boss.

Images to that night flashed in his head causing his heart to skip a beat. Matt shook his head to clear it up. He clutched his trembling hand and deeply inhaled before slowly exhaling.

'Damn. Even after all this time I still get the shakes from that.' Matt scowled in annoyance over his problem. His sensitivity towards it had dropped considerably after his breakdown, however it could still be set off spontaneously. The boy hoped it would leave before too long, but he had a feeling this would stick around longer than he'd like.

Removing those thoughts from his mind, Matt began to cook breakfast for himself and the usual people that requested it.

"Big brother!" Lo and behold, the first of them had entered.

"Hey Kagura," Matt smiled at the girl. "How are you?" He asked her as he flipped a pancake.

After the mission, Kagura had become practically attached to Matt's hip. She flat out refused to leave his side and hid behind him a lot. It was pretty bad at first. She slept in the same bed with him for a week in the guild. Eventually he'd managed to convince her to move into a nearby apartment about a block from the Guild.

"I'm doing alright. Master said he'd help me with my magic later today!" Stars shone in her eyes as she spoke.

Oh yeah, because of her status as a Mage, she was readily accepted into the guild. Especially considering she had nowhere else to go. Her purple mark was on her nape, covered by her hair. It turned out that headband ribbon thing Matt found was hers. Poor girl practically burst into tears when he handed it to her. It was apparently a gift from her brother, her biological one.

She'd told Matt what had happened that night to the best of her ability. Though she admitted parts of it were fuzzy and completely missing. He chalked it up to trauma causing that.

"That's great!" He smiled at her as he continued to cook. 'Still, a cult kidnapping kids didn't bode well.' His gaze wandered to Kagura who kicked her feet in the air while sitting at the bar. 'Maybe I should ask Master about this. Given his status, he'd probably have a connection with a clue about where those bastards are.' Matt's anger rose as he thought about those children being kidnapped and taken to god knows where. Quickly suppressing them as he finished cooking the food.

"Here Kagura." Matt handed her a plate.

"Thank you Big Brother!" She smiled and began eating. The boy smiled at her and took a seat next to her and ate as well.

'I swear Kagura, I'll reunite you with your brother.' Matt began to eat as he made the oath to himself.

* * *

The waves from the lake crashed loudly against the rocks from the nearby explosion. After a moment, they settled back down to normal. Once again however, a large explosion sent them into a rampage.

Standing atop the cliff with bow in hand, Matt fired off Projected arrows into the lake. Behind him were several spirits sparring with each other while Celtic Guardian stood beside Matt, observing his archery.

"Good. You have a natural talent for Archery it seems." The spirit smiled as Matt exhaled and lowered his bow.

"Thanks. It was easier to get the hang of than I thought it'd be." He summoned another sword in his hand. The blade was oddly shaped like a drill. "Though Ethernano arrows fire about the same speed as regular arrows." Matt drew back the sword causing it to elongate and shrink into an arrow-like shape. "These things go about ten to twenty times that speed." He fired the arrow into the ocean. Having to purposely aim down. "Meaning gravity and wind resistance are moot points to worry about. Unless I'm shooting from miles and miles away."

"Indeed. Though having a good grip on the basics is always a positive. Especially if you have to use practical arrows instead of ones forged with Magic Power." The Elf looked at Matt with a stern expression.

"Yeah." The boy grimly nodded as he continued both his archery and Magic Power stamina training. Ever since he'd opened the path to this expansion of his abilities a few months ago, he'd been training and creating new tools for his arsenal. Celtic Guardian and a few other Spirits were quite enthusiastic about teaching Matt things like Archery and Swordsmanship.

In the months since, he'd at the very least gotten to the level of things not brekaing immediately, he'd discovered some interesting things this magic allows him to do with a bit of unorthodox thinking. Granted, some of the stronger things were either far out of his current reach or oddly impossible unless he used an alternative method.

'Maybe I should learn some runes. Perhaps that's why inherently magical weapons aren't working right.' Thinking back to his failures to make the Gáe spears from Celtic myth. 'Though spears of instant death, magic canceling and incurable wounds would be a bit much right now. Never know about later on though…' If his past experiences these six years were any indication, it's only gonna get harder as time presses on.

The tolling of bells from town snapped Matt out of his train of thought. 'So he's finally back huh?' Gildarts had been gone for a little over a year now on a quest a few countries away. During the four months of Matt's recovery, he and Makarov devised the Gildarts Shift after _way_ too many complaints started piling up. The council was oddly supportive of the idea as the less messes they dealt with in the future, the better. So they helped fund the project and supplied workers to make the mechanisms. Matt was certainly surprised by this, but quickly realized this was the their way of saying "Thank you for not causing insane trouble."

'Why do I feel like they're gonna hate our very existence in a few years?' Matt tilted his head at the odd feeling in his gut. He shrugged it off and called back his spirits before returning to the guild.

When he arrived, the guild was a mix of confused over what had just happened and excited to see Gildarts again. Well, except for the hodgepodge of faces at Matt's usual table. Cana had lowered her head in dejection, Gray was wondering who Gildarts was and Kagura was just confused all around.

"Hey Matt." The Ice-Make Mage turned towards him. "Who's this Gildarts everyone is talking about?"

"He's Fairy Tail's strongest Mage, and our only S-class." Matt observed Gray's face morph into one of genuine curiosity after that.

The familiar figure of the man entered through the doors with a smile.

"How's it going everyone?" He addressed the crowd who erupted into cheers. Glasses of alcohol were raised up as the typical party began.

Seeing the smiling faces of most of the guild made him gratgrateful he had such a place to return to. Gildarts walked over the bar where Makarov was seated.

"Good to see you again Gildarts." Master smiled at the man. "So how'd it go?"

Gildarts smiled and raised his first two fingers with a smile. "It was a cake walk!"

"Yo." Matt walked up to Gildarts with a grin.

"Well if it ain't my Little Buddy." Gildarts spoke before turning to face the boy. He looked at Matt for a moment. "Well, not quite so "little" anymore aintcha'?" The older man smiled and ruffled Matt's hair.

"Yeah yeah and soon you won't be able to use me anymore in your attempts of game." Some chuckles could be heard around the Guild, with one person shouting "Kid has more than you old man!"

Gildarts grimaced at that, realizing that one: Matt was an 11 year-old. Two: he was no longer in his 20s. And three: he looks more like the kid's dad than someone else now. The Mage fell to his knees in defeat over the revelation he's on his own for the prowl again. A look of despair on his face.

"Are you seriously feeling despair over your age?!" Matt shouted at the man who seemed to turn white as a sheet over the reminder.

Makarov was chuckling at the sight. 'Reminds me of myself all those years ago.' The old man looked up as if gazing through the roof and into the sky. 'Wonder how you're doing Rob.'

"Gildarts." The boy spoke in a firm tone causing the older man to look at him. "Tomorrow afternoon at the forest clearing, you and me are gonna have a fight."

"…" The entire guild was silent.

"""WHAT?!?!""" Then suddenly shot up to an 11 on the volume scale in shock.

"O-oi Matt, are you sure about that?" Macao trying to get the kid to reconsider.

"Absolutely." Matt looked into Gildarts' eyes with evident fire, causing the man to smirk.

"Alright, I'll see you then." The man smiled as he stared down at Matt who didn't back down. Gildarts exited the Guild through a wall and Matt entered his room.

"Master! You can't be serious about this!" Macao immediately ran over to the old man.

"Gildarts will slaughter the kid!" Wakaba added to his friends plea.

Makarov remained silent for a moment. "Yes, of course I'll allow it. This is something the both of them need." He firmly stated causing the entire guild to go as pale as ghosts.

"What do you mean Master?" Gray asked with genuine curiosity.

"It's quite simple Gray: Matt needs an opponent he can go all-out against without the fear of killing to see how far he's grown and how far left he has to go. Gildarts on the other hand needs to know that there are people in the guild strong enough to protect everyone else. As the only S-class in Fairy Tail, he feels a burden to make sure the guild has a great reputation and to protect his brothers and sisters." The old man took a drink before continuing. "As such, having the feeling that others can look out for everyone would relive that burden significantly."

Everyone looked on in shock and some guilt. While it was true Matt was regarded as a workaholic, Gildarts being like that was certainly a shock. Then again, it did explain why he took such long and dangerous jobs.

"I reccomend you all come out tomorrow. Enjoy the show being put on by those two." Makarov smiled before setting his mug down. 'Perhaps this is just what everyone needs right now. A little push from the strongest member and the most promising one.' The old man looked around at his guild.

The younger members held incredible potential and promise as Mages. Meanwhile the older members weren't slouches in their own right, but have stagnated. They must've figured making it into a guild was the pinnacle and nothing beyond that. A right kind of push could inspire them all to work even harder to improve.

"Is Big Brother normally like that?" Kagura looked at Cana with a slight hint of worry.

"Not really..." The girl muttered, but quickly smiled. "But that fire in his eyes means he's determined to accomplish something. I don't know what, but if he believes in what he's doing that much, then all we can do is cheer him on, right?" Cana smiled brightly towards Kagura.

"Right!" The young girl gave her own large smile.

* * *

Matt stood completely still, arms crossed and with his eyes closed. This forest clearing was a small spot that was a short walk from the guild. It was usually used for outdoor parties the guild had, but also doubled as a place where members could have a friendly spar. The rest of the guild sat off to the side a good ways away for safety.

"You're surprisingly punctual." Matt opened his eyes with a smile at the approaching Gildarts.

"Well what can I say?" The man popped his knuckles with a smile. "I'm all fired up."

"Heh. Alright then, well let's not waste anymore time." Matt unfolded his arms and widened his stance a bit.

Gildarts confidently stood across from the boy with a smile still on his face. A thick silence overtook the area as Makarov looked at the both of them with a raised arm.

"Begin!" He yelled and lowered his arm.

Immediately Matt called out Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl with a surprisingly fast draw of their cards.

"Ho? So you can handle calling out two high level Monsters now without sacrifices eh?" Gildarts smiled as the two fresh faces threw out magic attacks at him. "However, it'll take more than that to put me down!"

He raised his hand and caused the attacks to split into hundreds of small cubes, which made them quickly dissipate.

"I see that Crush Magic is still ridiculously powerful." Matt smirked as he saw the attacks turn into nothing. "Well, it'd be no fun if you went down that fast!"

The two Monsters began firing scatter blasts of magic at Gildarts from multiple angles. He once again split them apart, this time with both hands.

'I see, so that's his blindspot eh?' Matt observed every minute action of Gildarts to see if there were weaknesses. 'Better to be safe than sorry thiugh.'

"Once again!" Matt threw out his arm as the Magicians once again attacked from different angles.

"Master, why is Matt just standing there and letting his Spirits do all the fighting?" Cana looked slightly stumped by the show. Matt seemed so determined and yet he wasn't doing anything.

"Matt is more of a thinker than the type to blindly rush in. Right now he's preparing a strategy to take down Gildarts." Makarov observed the subtle shift in his expression. "And it looks like he's ready."

"Ready for what?" Gray looked on with a raised brow.

"Watch and learn." Makarov simply stated, causing the guild to watch closely.

"Now then, time to kick things up a notch." Matt smirked as his two Monsters returned to his side. "Dark Burning Attack!" He shouted as the duo placed their rods together, forming a large sphere of powerful magic that launched at Gildarts.

"Nice power!" Gildarts smiled at the sight. "But it's not enough!" He raised his arm, and like all the other times before, he split the attack into cubes.

Matt smirked as the cubes suddenly exploded in front of Gildarts, kicking up a massive dust cloud. When it cleared Gildarts was tattered a bit, but fine. He coughed as he looked confused.

"Looks like I was right on that front." Matt spoke, still obscured by the dust. "Your magic splits apart magic attacks, and because of that, the sudden lack of consistent Magic Power causes the individual parts of the attack to stagnate, not knowing what to do besides dissipate." Gildarts began to see the form of the boy. "So what would happen if those individual cubes of Magic Power were to suddenly have an unstable element introduced?" The older mage's eyes widened as he saw Matt confidently smirking with a bow in hand. "I think you can guess the result of that."

"Not bad, one of the few times anyone has basically figured out how Crush works on Magic." Gildarts smirked as he got in a combat stance. "Now come at me! Show me what you've learned while I was gone!"

Matt smirked as be made his bow dissipate. "Gladly." He lazily raised his right hand up. Gildarts raised a brow in confusion, but when he saw the variety of weapons appearing above Matt, he stood bewildered.

This was a method that came to Matt after seeing how Makarov's light magic left trails with large points. Matt took this idea and created what he dubbed Scatter Point, a methodology similar to his magic where he used his raw magic power to form thin, piano wire-like lines of his magic with larger points along it. From here, Matt sends the neccessary information to each point and they take the neccessary magic power to replicate a weapon. From there, all he had to do was fire away.

"You actually got the hang of Replication Magic?!" Gildarts was legitimately shocked at the sight. Though he wouldn't get long to be shocked.

Matt flicked his hand forward, causing the blades to shoot out towards Gildarts at an incredible speed. Raising his hand, Gildarts removed the swords that were aimed right at him.

"Gotta work on your aim though." A confident smile found itself on Gildarts' face, which turned to confusion as Matt was still grinning.

Matt moving his wrist back suddenly caused Gildarts to look over his shoulder in shock as the blades that missed him were coming right back at him.

"Crap!" Gildarts attempted to jump away, but found his feet submerged into the ground. "What?!" A slight rumbling made his head turn towards Matt where a mole was saluting him by his feet before turning into a golden light that went back into Matt's deck. Realizing Matt summoned three spirits initially and used the explosion earlier to distract him so he wouldn't notice the Mole.

He clicked his tongue and went to counter, only to have a bolas ensnare his arms to his body.

"Ah ah ah, wouldn't want you to escape the fun that easily." Matt smirked as he used the time Gildarts was distracted to create the binding item.

Gildarts, realizing for the first time in a while he was in a bind simply smiled.

"Well then, let me respond in kind!" He got into a deep squat and proceeded to smash his head into the ground, causing it to break apart upwards. The rubble hitting the blades and breaking them.

Matt had jumped back a bit to avoid damage. "So your spine is your blindspot for Crush."

"Yup! You figured that out pretty fast." Gildarts dusted himself off after breaking the bolas. "Guess it was when you had those two attack me from all those angles."

"You'd be right on that assumption." Matt honestly responded to his words. "Now then, I think that's enough of a warm up." He summoned Kanshou and Bakuya.

"Oh yeah! I'm all ready for a good fight now!" Smiling, the two stood still momentarily before clashing.

Gildarts blocked Matt's sword swings and Matt bobbed and weaved around Gildarts' punches. While Gildarts was obviously not deploying every trick in his arsenal, Matt kept a pair of valuable aces up his sleeve.

The boy jumped back and into the air. He threw his blades at Gildarts who was surprised when three more sets of the blades were also thrown at him.

'He's already this fast with it!' The man smiled even wider as he blocked the swords with Crush. When he noticed Matt firing a real arrow at him, he extended the range of Crush to meet it faster. To his shock, the arrow instead blinded him with a bright flash.

'Crap! That was a flash bomb arrow!' The Mage rubbed his eyes only to find, once opening them, that Matt was gone.

Looking around, Gildarts only noticed Matt's presence a bit late as a sword arrow flew at him at frightening speed. Gildarts dodged it, which might've been a mistake as the ground behind him violently exploded. 'He wasn't aiming for me?!' With dust and rubble all around him, Gildarts unfortunately didn't notice Matt right above him.

"Gotcha." Matt muttered as he fired an arrow straight down at the man, causing a significant explosion.

As he landed, he noticed the quick and heavy sounds of running as Gildarts ran straight for him.

'Crap! He must've expected a back or sky attack!'

"You're mine!" Gildarts shouted as he threw his fist at Matt. Only for it to meet something surprisingly hard. The dust kicked up from the sheer force of his punch obscured Matt. The older mage backed up, shaking his now sore fist. When his gaze saw what he hit, the man smirked.

A colossal slab of rock was stabbed into the ground. It appeared to be some kind of crude axe-blade, with bindings marking the handle for it and an almost obsidian look to the edge. The blade crumbled to bits to reveal the nervously sweating Matt.

'Thank you Sekai de Ichiban.' Matt exhaled in relief. He hadn't expected Gildarts to figure out his strategy that quickly. Thankfully Matt had this weapon prepped as a makeshift shield until he could wield it himself. Though Gildarts breaking through it like nothing was not fully on the agenda.

"That was a fast reaction." Gildarts shook his hand. Thankfully it wasn't broken, but he sure wouldn't be hitting hard with it for a bit.

'Alright then, if surprise attacks aren't gonna work…' Matt wiped his mouth and fixed his stance.

"Plan B it is then." Dispelling the ruined weapon, Matt stood up straight.

"Plan B eh?" Gildarts smiled as he looked at Matt. "If all of that was plan A, then I have to admit I'm excited to see what else you got in store for me."

Matt smirked in an exasperated manner. "Well plan A was supposed to do you in. But I guess that was wishful thinking." Matt's expression dropped. "I'm about to throw out one of my current Trump Cards, so I'd be ready if I were you."

'He's telling me what he's about to do?' The older made raised an eyebrow. "Odd of you to warn me."

"Heh. Don't take it the wrong way, but even you might have some difficulty with this next attack." Matt closed his eyes and focused. "See while I was learning this magic, a simple fact occured to me: complex things are very hard to make."

Gildarts stood at the ready for anything. However "anything" didn't include giant swords coming out of the ground.

"What the?" The blades were coming out slowly, but not at Gildarts. In fact all they did was seemed to do was form a wall around the two.

"So I thought to myself, "Why don't I do the opposite? Why don't I create a bunch of incredibly simple things and see how that goes?" And you're about to see the results."

Matt's eyes opened and his gaze sharpened as it landed on Gildarts who dug his feet into the ground.

"Now scatter." Matt brushed his arm to the side. "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." Upon that word being uttered, all the blades exploded into countless silver petals.

As if on instinct, Gildarts jumped up to get away. Matt raised his gaze at Gildarts and he was immediately swarmed. Even when he dispelled the wave in front of him, another group smashed into his back cutting up the section of his body.

'Are each of those things a small blade?!' Gildarts quickly got up and tried his hardest to run. 'I need to hit the source!' He began to run towards Matt who stood there with a neutral expression.

"Take this!" He shouted as he threw a fist at Matt. However the older mage grimaced in pain as a wall of the miniature blades met his fist.

"That's useless. This ability allows me to relentlessly attack you and still have leftover petals for defense. I needn't even use my hands to control them, when I do however, their speed triples. Observe." Matt swiped his hand out towards Gildarts who quickly jumped back as a wave of the petals crashed into the ground.

'What a ridiculous ability!' The S-class mage then smirked. 'But it's gotta be pricey to use. Which means all I gotta do is wait it out.' He quickly dodged another torrent. 'Easier said than done though given his stupid amount of Magic Power.' As Gildarts shot into the air, he noticed the pattern of the petals around him. 'Shit!'

"Now fall!" Matt closed his right hand as Gildarts was swallowed by the petals, only for then to explode outwards before a full encapsulation.

"All Crush!" Gildarts shouted and blew away all the petals. He landed on the ground and cracked it from the force. He had quite a few small cuts on him that bled slightly. "Seems like those blades of yours aren't as sharp as they could be." Gildarts wiped his cut cheek.

"Of course not, I'm not aiming to maim or kill y'know?" Sweat started to form on Matt's brow and blood began to flow out his nose. This technique took immense concentration since he was remotely controlling over a million blades at once.

Makarov's eyes widened as he observed the technique.

"To think he's already at this level. So much Magic Power too." The old man gazed at Matt who had a fully focused expression. "At the speed he's going, the raw quantity of his Magic Power may eclipse my own before he even turns 20."

"Are you serious?!" Macao gaped at the old man's words.

"Indeed. Even when I first met him, Matt already had an extraordinary amount of Magic Power for his age. His Duel Monsters in particular encourage the rapid growth of it, as in order to summon a monster, you have to have the total quantity of their magic power comparative to your own." Makarov thought back to how strong the magic power he felt the first day he met Matt was.

'He can probably do one more all-out attack before having to scrap it.' Gildarts observed the quickly exhausting state of Matt.

"Unfortunately for you Gildarts, this is the end." Matt confidently smiled as Gildarts immediately heightened his guard. The ground beneath him shot up as petals exploded like a geyser.

Matt threw his hands across his body like a self-hug as petals quickly flew to swarm Gildarts from every possible angle. A perfect trap that was impossible to escape from without magic. The current encapsulation of Matt's unorthodox approach to training his magic.

'Block the ones around me and the ones below me hit. Block the ones below me and I'll be swarmed everywhere else.' Gildarts' expression softened with a smile as he looked down at Matt. 'You've grown up, haven't you?' The man stood with a smirk. "It's about time I show you why I'm the strongest in the guild." He proudly declared and smiled widely at Matt.

"Show me then!" Matt accepted the challenge with a wide grin as the area around his mouth was stained red with his own blood.

Magic Power visibly swelled around Gildarts as veins bulged from his head. The man raised his fist as Matt closed his. Once he was covered in the petals, a massive shockwave completely scattered them and destroyed the rest. Matt used his remaining petals to guard from the aftershock. The guild threw their arms up as the violent winds threatened to send them to the sky.

Gildarts landed, breathing noticeably heavier. Matt dropped to a knee practically panting for air, the petals dispelled. 'Damn, looks like two minutes is my limit with that.'

"Well it was a good try, but Plan B failed." Gildarts uttered between breathes.

Matt stood up shakily as he wiped away the blood.

"Then, Plan C it is." His words shocked Gildarts.

"You're kidding me right?! You can barely stand! What else do you possibly have that I don't know about?!" Gildarts, while confused, still had his guard up.

"Oh Plan C has been going for a bit actually." Matt smiled as he cast his gaze at the hopeless pervert.

"What?" Looking around for any abnormalities, Gildarts couldn't detect any.

"Now then, one last attack is all I got left in me." Summoning his bow, Matt created the drill-shaped sword he'd been using yesterday. A weapon he'd made unstable on purpose, since unstable magic power is quite volatile when tampered with.

"Then come on! Show me your resolve!" Spreading out his arms in a challenge, Gildarts widely smiled.

"As you wish." Matt drew back the sword as it turned into an arrow. However that wasn't all of his current preparation as a light shot out from his belt.

'Wait. He's not attacking?' Gildarts wondered as when he looked back at Matt his expression was one of shock. Heck the entire guild was in pure shock.

A loud roar came from behind Matt as Red-Eyes Black Dragon proudly stood behind him.

"Take this! Inferno Fire Eruption." Matt fired his arrow as Red-Eyes shot it's own attack onto the projectile. The flames mixing with it and strengthening the power twofold.

"It can't be…" Makarov looked on in awe. "Unison Raid."

"What?!" Gildarts had heard his masters words, but still couldn't believe it. He quickly calmed down though and raised his hand. "Nice trick kid, you almost got me from shock alone. But that attack ain't gonna work when it's coming right at me so boldly."

As if on cue, the attack dissipated into cubes. Smirking triumphantly, Gildarts' expression soon morphed to surprise.

"Oh? So you see the move was being fired in front of you." Matt's eyes were obscured with his bangs, but the devilish grin on his face told another story. "Interesting." He snapped his fingers and suddenly Gildarts couldn't believe his eyes as the image of Matt and that dragon shattered into millions of pieces.

'Huh?!' Gildarts looked around in front of him to try and find Matt to no avail. 'Wait.' Gildarts stopped moving. 'This feeling…' He tried to recall this familiar feeling, and when he did it was too late. 'Shit! Illusions too?!'

The attack collided into Gildarts' back and sent him into the woods where a large explosion shook the area and kicked up powerful winds.

Matt collapsed onto hus knees and was breathing like he was about to die. 'Alright. Maybe I pushed myself a bit too much there.' The spots in his vision seemed to agree with him as Red-Eyes dissipated.

When he heard the sounds of footsteps, Matt couldn't hide the bitter grin on his face.

"So you hit it at the last possible second eh? Friggin' monster." The boy let out a bitter chuckle as Gildarts stood tall. His cloak all but ashes now as numerous cuts and scrapes littered his body.

"To think you'd also use Illusions too. That one was so subtle I barely noticed it." The older man let out a chuckle.

"Coming from you? That's high praise." Matt's training with Illusions wasn't actually that deep. Instead of using big, grandiose ones, he focused on subtle ones you wouldn't immediately notice, if you noticed them at all. "I surrender." Matt let out as he fell to his back with a grunt.

"Winner: Gildarts!" Makarov raised his left hand at Gildarts. The man walked over to Matt and immediately laid down.

"Man that was exhausting!" He groaned. "I haven't been pushed like that for a while!"

"Oh don't pity me, you weren't really going all out the entire time." Matt smiled as he laid down too.

"Hey! Not like it undermines what you did." Pouting, Gidlarts looked away from Matt who laughed at his reaction.

As the duo talked, the remainder of the guild erupted into applause, silencing their conversation. They were then swarmed by everyone.

"Holy crap Matt! That was awesome!" Gray excitedly shouted with wide eyes.

"Big Brother was so cool!" Kagura smiled as she ran over and hugged Matt.

"How did you even get that strong?!" Cana asked with a wide smile.

"Damn, someone less than half our age is showing us up like that." Macao bitterly smiled.

"Just means we gotta keep up with em'!" Wakaba threw an arm over his friends shoulders.

"Damn straight." The bluenette confidently replied.

As smiles and exchanges of desires to catch up to Matt and Gildarts were uttered, Makarov smiled at the sight.

'Thank you, Matt, Gildarts. You showed everyone that as long as they work at it, they can reach limitless heights.'

As the crowd headed back to the guild to likely party, Makarov and Gildarts remained at the newly destroyed area.

"So, how far did he push you?" The Master asked with a raised brow.

"I was pretty consistently on my toes that whole fight. Matt knows how to attack ya off guard." Gildarts scratched the back of his head. "Though I did get a bit nervous a few times there. That kid has some terrifying tricks." A bitter laugh came from Gildarts.

"I see." Makarov nodded as he gazed at the group heading back to the Guild. "And did you finally see it?"

"Yeah…" A smile crawled onto his face.

For the first time since he joined the guild, Gildarts had _finally_ seen the desire of his guild mates to improve and be better. Something he truly thought he'd almost never see.

"He's really come into his own eh?" Makarov sat next to Gildarts as they both looked at the crowd walking away from them. Matt was raised atop Macao and Wakaba's shoulders, much to his dismay.

"Yeah..." Gildarts genuinely felt proud of the boy.

"If he sticks around, his future is truly as bright and boundless as the stars." The old man smiled before standing. "Now then, we better catch up before they drink all the booze and eat all the food."

"You got that right." Gildarts stood as he suddenly saw Master bolt off.

"Last one there helps clean up!" He shouted as he ran towards the guild.

"Hey wait up!" Gildarts tried to run after him, only to face plant and find his foot bound to the ground with earth magic. "That's not fair Master!" He could've sworn he heard the old man blow raspberries at him.

The guild then partied the night away, a new fire lit in their bellies.

**Well hello one and all!**

**This story once again returns to its Thursday schedule.**

**So this was a bit different for a chapter. Bit shorter than my usual length, but it was also 90% action. This format is essentially how I plan to do arc closing final fights with mostly action and some dialogue thrown in. Unless the final fight is exceptionally long, like one I have down the pipeline may be. Gotta actually get to writing it first.**

**This chapter, as I said, was essentially the fruits of the past 8 months of straight training Matt did. I already spoke of Scatter Point and how it's basically a weaker Gate of Babylon for now. It can only be fired in one direction, and the distance the projectiles go is limited, but that will naturally grow over time.**

**So the elephant in the room for his new ace is unquestionably Senbonzakura. It's quite literally the sole Bankai he can use since all the others have some kind of elemental or physical boon. Meanwhile Senbonzakura is just a ton tiny petal-shaped cutting weapons. The shape is ridiculously easy and they're pure metal, so the process of making them is absurdly simple for someone who can already make a perfect metal weapon.**

**Naturally it had a catch, controlling your magic split into a million tiny pieces is _NOT _easy whatsoever. Matt was practically bleeding himself dry from extended use of it. Of course he will improve over time, but it will take a significant while. It is an ace though, so you can bet he'll use it against every arc's final boss** **until some new tricks come along.**

**In terms of Matt v Gildarts, my choice of him simply boiled down to the thing Makarov mentioned: most potential vs strongest. I didn't think a fight between Matt and Makarov would feel right, or something Matt as a character would really go for. He wanted to test himself, but he also _really_ didn't wanna hurt Makarov even slightly. So his only option was the man atop the mountain.**

**So we have one more chapter before our first real arc gets underway. The pace of the story definitely picks up for the next 15ish chapters, so look forward to that. Next chapter is primarily gonna be set up and seed planting for future developments. We'll discuss that next time!**

**One last thing I wanna throw out there is if anyone would be interested in me just posting an opening chapter to one of the other stories I got planned. Naturally this one would take priority and the other one I choose would be updated... whenever, it wouldn't have a schedule** **for the time being.**

**Once more I leave you all with a fun little Omake! Until next time!**

**Omake: Please Teach me Matt-sensei! (canon)**

"Hrmmm." Kagura groaned as he looked at the book in front of her.

"Something wrong Kagura?" Cana walked up to the table the girl sat at.

"Well..." She started to speak, but decided to show the cover of the book to the girl. It was a book about learning Pergance, the common native language spoken and written across Earthland.

"Ah." Cana nodded in understanding, "Truth be told I'm still kinda rough about writing." She nervously scratched her head.

"You too?" Gray walked over in only his boxers. "Master Ur was good at teaching Magic, but actual subjects was an entirely different monster..." He shuddered at the long nights spent doing physical activity punishments.

"Maybe we should get help?" Kagura suggested to the duo.

"Sure, but from who?" Gray looked around the guild and wasn't too impressed by anyone as a potential teacher.

"Master?" Cana suggested.

"Eh, I don't think he'd be good at teaching general subjects." Gray rationalized that since he hadn't actually been in school for so long, the curriculum was probably lost to Makarov.

Kagura's face lit up, "How about Big Brother?!"

"Matt?" Cana bounced the idea around in her head. "He is around our age and would probably know the best."

The trio simultaneously nodded and approached the boy who ate a slice of chocolate cake at the bar.

"You want me to teach you three to read and write?" He blinked a few times at the odd request.

"Can you? Pretty please~." Kagura pleaded with the boy who sighed.

"Okay, okay. I'll do it." He sighed and powered down the rest of his treat.

The trio of students sat at a table in the corner of the room.

"Alright, calm down, calm down you crazy kids." Matt walked over lazily in a lab coat and glasses with the lenses popped out.

"The hell is with the-" Gray went to comment about Matt's attire, but a piece of chalk hitting his head like a bullet shut him up.

"Now then." He pulled out a light pen and created a whiteboard-like area. "Let's get started."

He noticed the raised hand from Gray.

"Yes, Fullbuster?"

"Why are you smoking a cigcigarette? How'd you even get one?!" He pointed at the white object smoking at the end that Matt had in his mouth.

"It's not a cigarette, it's a lollipop." He dryly answered the question.

"Like hell it is!"

Matt simply retorted by grabbing and stick and pulling out the impossibly-huge lollipop in his mouth.

"Wh-wha..." Gray stared at the object in shock.

"Now then." Matt placed the sweet back into his mouth, "Open your textbooks to page 15."

"ARE YOU TWO EVEN-" Gray turned to his "classmates".

""Shhhhh."" They both shushed him as they were genuinely invested in learning.

Gray slumped forward, "I'm surrounded by weirdos."

"Fullbuster, your clothes." Matt spoke to the boy behind him.

"DAMNIT ALL!!"


	9. A Study In Scarlet

**Once again we come to the section where I answer your questions and try not to look stupid... or at least stupider than I already am.**

**Middernacht: **Nah, Millennium Items wouldn't really serve much of a point. However, I will say that one thing a certain Item can do will eventually be in Matt's arsenal. In fact it'll probably be one of his deadliest weapons.

**Arclight001: **Oh good at least someone likes my fight scenes. I was actually kinda worried they may bore people, especially with the upcoming arc being what it is, but hey at least one person likes my method of doing them.

As for your questions: oh yeah, effect monsters will definitely be around with some variation of their ability. Grand Mole is an exception along with maybe a few others since how the actual hell do I make those abilities work outside the game. As for spells and traps, yes, but not in the manner you'd expect. Next arc will basically show off what I mean.

Secondly: Matt is roughly Freed's age, so about three years younger.

Lastly: I'm gonna be blunt, I really can't answer this without spoiling things. What I can say, is that Matt won't be making it to canon unscathed. That may just change the way he fights for all you know. Maybe for the better, maybe for the worse. Just gonna have to wait and find out.

**Okie dokie! With that done, on with the show!**

"Not again!!!" Macao yelled as he lost yet another game of Poker to the grinning Matt across from him.

"You'd think he'd learn by now…" Wakaba sighed at his friends self-imposed plight.

"That makes the score 267 to zero." Matt smiled as he pulled in a pile of Jewel and snacks.

"Y'know I gotta ask, why don't you take your skills to the pros? You'd mop the floor with them." Wakaba pulled out another cigarette and lit it.

"Dunno, just never had the chance I guess." The boy shrugged as he sorted through snacks he liked and ones Kagura liked. For the little over a year he'd known the girl, he obviously knew of her sweet tooth. Naturally he had to play "big brother" and have her brush twice a day. Though she preferred to do it at the guild with him for some reason. It somewhat baffled him, but as long as she did do it then who cares?

"Well you're in luck, a regional for poker is coming around in a week. You should try it out." The bluenette suggested as he easily got over another loss.

"Aren't I kinda young for it though?" Sure he was approaching 12, but that didn't mean anything.

"Nah, the tournament guys only care if you have money. They're a bit scummy if you ask me." Bitterly, Wakaba spoke between hits of his smoke.

"So you want me to run em dry?" Matt asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean I'm not saying you should embarrass everyone there by kicking all their asses, but hey, you said it not me." A smile found itself on Wakaba as he defensively raised his hands.

Matt sat silent for a minute before shrugging. "Eh, maybe. I'll see how I feel the day of before deciding." He opened a lollipop after speaking and began to enjoy the sweet.

'There are some birthdays coming up before too long now, having some spare cash for gifts would be nice.' He thought placing his hands behind his head. Gazing over to Gray who was getting his fortune read by Cana. She'd taken up the hobby with her magic not too long ago, likely at an attempt to expand the range of uses her magic has.

"What do you mean I'm supposed to have good luck today?!" Gray spoke in a mix of surprise and anger. It was true that he'd _not_ had the best of luck lately. Between dropping his wallet, falling in that ditch by the construction area for a graveyard expansion to the cathedral and then tripping in a pothole on the main road of town, luck was not on his side today.

"Look the cards don't lie and the result is absolute. We could do this over and over and nothing would change." Cana sighed at the Ice-Make Mage.

"Look here, your crappy fortune telling-"

"Oh shut up." Exasperating a sigh, Cana tried to end the conversation.

To Matt's surprise, he once again heard unfamiliar footsteps approaching. He and the rest of the guild looked at the new arrival with a hint of surprise. She had short red hair, an eyepatch over her right eye and wore a tattered dress that was absolutely filthy.

"So this is the place Grandpa Rob told me about..." The girl muttered as she looked around. Her gaze eventually falling onto Makarov who was currently seated at the bar, his usual spot. She approached him with determination in her eye. "Are you Master Makarov?"

"Indeed I am young lady. How can I help you?" A smile found itself onto his face.

She looked around for a moment, noticing the prying eyes of the guild members.

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to make this talk a little more private." She requested with surprising sternness.

Makarov looked at her momentarily before standing up. "Matt my boy, is it fine if we use your room?"

A thumbs up from the boy was all he received as Matt was busy piling and filtering his loot from Macao.

"Then follow me." The old man led her into Matt's room and closed the door.

"What do you think her deal is?" Macao asked after taking a drink of his beer.

"Dunno, but given how she looked…" Wakaba thought about her overall awful appearance. From her destroyed clothes, pale and dirty skin, malnourished body, the eyepatch on top of a few bandages, it didn't look pleasant.

'You're wrong there Wakaba.' Matt thought as he hid his feelings with a neutral expression. 'That look in her eye is what the most worrying part is. The girl has seen and gotten to know hell rather intimately. Fact that she's still going speaks of how strong her will is.' Matt thought about it for a bit, trying to piece together what could've happened to her.

A child that looks around his age, beat up, obviously underfed, all by herself and this isn't even mentioning why she came here and asked for privacy with Makarov. Almost like she's got something to hide. Or... something she wouldn't want getting out to the public... ... ...

'No…' A grim thought entered his mind. 'It does fit though. Poor living and working conditions, that cold feeling she emanates like a war vet who saw the real meaning of pain.' He couldn't ignore the images the connected dots made in his head. 'She must've escaped from those cultists that were kidnapping kids.' Though that conclusion sent another bad feeling up and down his spine. 'If she's the only escapee, then what does that mean for the other captives…' He bit down hard on the candy and crushed the lollipop.

"You okay there Matt?" Wakaba raised a brow at the sudden crunching.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just thinking about something I'm training with being a pain y'know?" Matt falsely wrote off his anger to the two, flicking the stick into a nearby trash can.

"I hear that. Trying to shape fire into other things is a pain." Macao sighed thinking back to his recent venture into training.

"I'm still trying to increase my smoke output. Thinking about upgrading to a pipe." The smoker stroked his chin in contemplation.

While the trio began talking Magic, Makarov exited Matt's room with the girl. They walked over to the bar where he placed her Guild Stamp on her right shoulder.

"Everyone!" The guild looked over to the small man who called for attention. "This young girl is Erza... er." He whispered a question to the girl who remained silent a moment before answering. Makarov nodded and continued, "This is Erza Scarlet, and she has just joined the guild. Please make her feel welcome!" He raised an arm gesturing to the girl who wore an expressionless mask. "That is all."

As tradition, the usual shenanigans broke out amongst the members of the guild. However the girl didn't even seem phased as she walked over to an isolated area of the guild and sat by herself. Makarov sighed at the sight before he eyed Matt. Walking over towards him, the old man got his attention. Matt stood up and they walked over to an empty part of the guild.

"What's up Master?"

"I need you to do me a favor." The old man asked sincerely.

"Sure." An indifferent tone and shrug coated his words.

"I need you to make a good meal for Erza, clean her up and get her living situation sorted out."

That caused an eyebrow to get raised on Matt. "Can't you do that Master? Not saying I won't do it, but it sounds like something you can manage pretty easily... well the third part at least." Let it be known the old man was many things, but a cook wasn't one of them. Also Matt realized an old man helping a young girl clean herself wasn't exactly... the best image for a Guild Master to have.

Makarov sighed, "I know, but I have to go talk to Porlyusica about something."

"I assume it relates to the girl." His Master's nod was all the boy needed. "Alright. Shouldn't be too hard." Matt shrugged.

"You have my thanks." After Makarov finished talking they both went off to do their tasks.

Matt cooked a hearty meal with a good spread of fruits, vegetables, some meat, and grain to make sure her body got neccessary vitamins and other necessities. After he was done, he walked over to the lone table off to the side where the girl sat and placed the food down with a glass of water.

Before Erza could even ask what this was for, Matt had already walked off. Silently, the girl picked up the fork in the food and took a bite. Her eye dimly lit up for the first time in years.

"It's good…" She silently uttered as she soon began eating her first real dinner in ages.

The boy had exited the guild and walked around to the back of it. This is where he could normally find the person of his current interest if she wasn't in the guild with him.

"Hey Kagura." Matt waved down the girl who was currently practicing her magic outside. She stood up and walked over to him, the various rocks falling back into the ground.

"What's up Big Brother?" She smiled at him.

"How much room do you have in your place?" Matt asked as he popped another lollipop in his mouth.

"Uh, a good amount. Why?" Her head tilted to the side.

"How'd you feel about a roommate? And before you ask, no it's not me." He quickly added on that last part which caused a slight pout to appear on Kagura's face.

"I wouldn't mind it I guess. Who is it?"

"New girl that just joined today. Erza Scarlet. She doesn't have a place to stay."

"I see…" The girl silently figured out why that was before smiling. "Sure, I wouldn't mind having her!"

Matt smiled and patted at girl's head. She leaned into his hand and giggled.

After that was done, the girl went back to her training and Matt returned to the Guild. As he approached his usual table however, he felt a tug on his jacket. He turned to see Erza gripping the plate in one hand and looking away from him.

"Um…" She muttered out as quietly as a mouse.

Immediately getting what she was suggesting, Matt took her plate and returned to the kitchen to make seconds for her. This time he covered other foods her body would need the first meal didn't cover. Once again he approached the same table and handed the plate to her. The girl look at the plate a little bewildered.

"Your portion is smaller this time." He said as he walked away. "You haven't eaten a lot of food in a while haven't you." Her silent response urged him on. "When you don't eat or eat very little for a long time, your stomach shrinks. So if you eat a big meal to try and satisfy your hunger and then some, you'll just vomit it all up."

The girl's eye widened slightly, realizing what his words meant. He was shrinking her portion down not out of cruelty, it was to make sure she didn't make herself sick.

"Stick around after closing." He spoke before leaving her alone to eat. The boy knew she needed some space, especially after her experiences.

Erza sat in silence and began to slowly eat once again. A faint, practically invisible smile appeared on her face. Not even she realized it was there however.

* * *

"I can wash myself…" Erza pouted as Matt cleaned her back. They were currently in the guild bathroom. The redhead sat in the tub while Matt was on a stool outside the tub. His purple jacket off and his short sleeves rolled up to the shoulder.

"Oh? I didn't know you had stretchable arms to clean your back. Should I start calling you Luffy?"

"Who's Luffy?" Erza raised a brow.

"Doesn't matter." Matt sighed as he looked at the tub water. It was practically pitch black.

"I'm gonna drain the tub and refill it. Just stay still." She was silent as he proceeded to drain the water. The girl hadn't realized just how filthy she was. Though she supposed going two years without a bath would do that.

"There. Your back is good." He cleaned off the hand scrubber he was using and loaded it with more soap. "Here, you can handle the front of you body right?" Matt handed the brush to Erza who wordlessly accepted it.

Matt grabbed a bottle of conditioner and coated his hands in it before working on Erza's hair. The girl stiffened at first from the sudden contact, but eventually eased. They worked in silence even when Matt swapped to shampoo and drained the tub again before refilling it. The thick bubble froth from her hair was black as well as it fell into the water. Erza's expression remained neutral, be she would be lying if she said the scalp massage she was basically getting from Matt didn't feel good.

"Make sure you get your face with that scrubber as well." He added, swapping back to conditioner one last time.

Erza suddenly stopped moving. "Promise me you won't look." Her tone bewildered him. It was definitely one of a hurt person, but was that fear and embarrassment he detected?

Matt raised an eyebrow, "I promise."

She removed the blindfold and placed it on the edge of the tub before cleaning her face. Quickly putting it back on after the process was done.

Once that was finished, Matt emptied the tub and then dumped a bucket of warm water to clean Erza's head. He stood after this and dried his arms with a towel.

"Towels are right on the sink. I'll be by the bar if you need me." He exited the bathroom after tossing his dirty towel in the hamper by the door.

Kagura was sitting at the bar, working on a jigsaw puzzle Matt had bought for her. He took a seat next to her and eyed her progress.

"So how many times did you have to refill the tub?" She asked, knowing how bad it had been with her when she had to have the same thing happen to her.

"About three times. First time the water was like black tea." Kagura winced at his words. She hadn't been_ that_ bad, but it was still like chocolate milk in the tub.

After about ten minutes, Erza exited the bathroom with new clothes. Matt had kinda just guessed her sizes, but it seemed like he as pretty dead on. She approached the two cautiously.

"Erza, this is Kagura." He gestured to the girl beside him. "You'll be staying with her for now. She has a spare key to the Guild, so if you need anything don't be afraid to drop by whenever."

He and Makarov had to have a spare key made for Kagura after she had a really bad nightmare and practically broke the doors from how hard she pounded on it to get Matt's attention.

"Hi Erza! I'm Kagura like Big Brother said." The smaller girl walked over with a wide smile and extended her hand to the redhead.

She stared at the gesture as if she didn't even know how to respond. Kagura caught this and nodded before lowering her hand, figuring she'd get it eventually.

"Anyways, let's head off to my place!" She smiled and grabbed the girls hand before leading her out quickly. The redhead not even getting a word out before she was hauled away by the younger girl.

Matt looked at the sight with an exhausted grin. "Well, this kind of environment is definitely a fierce detox for her." He knew her scars ran deep, and doubted she'd be opening up completely anytime soon.

After locking up, Matt went on his usual ritual. He changed into his pajamas, brushed his teeth and went to go talk to his crystal friend.

"Hey there." He smiled as he walked into the room. "Y'know I've been here for almost seven years and I still don't know your name." Taking his usual sitting spot in front of her, he awkwardly smiled. "Though I get a strong feeling I'm not even supposed to be here at all." A bitter laugh exited from Matt.

"So guess what? We got a new girl in the guild today. She looks about a year younger than me and has really nice hair." His smile dropped a bit. "I think she was one of those kids I told you about. The ones taken by the cult. I really hope Kagura's brother is alright, can't even imagine what would happen if he died..." Matt's face fell when he realized what that would mean, though he quickly slapped his cheeks and got out of that train.

"Y'know having all these girls in different places is a bit of a pain. I've been thinking of asking that old lady who owns the hotel on the hill about a five minute walk from here if she wanted to cut a deal." Matt sighed. "Though I'd have to renovate the hell out of that dusty old place. And I don't think even I have that kind of cash…" Suddenly an idea came to him. "Wait! That poker tournament is sure to have a ton of money as the prize!" The dots started connecting to Matt who smiled widely. "I know you're thinking what I'm thinking." He smiled as the plan was about to be set in motion.

* * *

"So, this is the place huh?" Matt looked at the large game hall in front of him. It was quite busy, likely due to the draw of Professional Poker.

"Now what's a kid like you doing here?" Matt turned to see a pair of men. The one who spoke to him looked like a classic "hard boiled" detective, trenchcoat, five o'clock shadow and cigarette included.

"I'm here to win some money." Matt honestly replied catching the older man off-guard. "Why? You a cop or something?"

"No no, I used to be a Rune Knight but injury retired me. I'm a journalist now. I'm Date, and this is Jason, my protege." He gestured to the excited blond teen beside him.

"Cool! A young boy is gonna take on the adult world of gambling without a spot of fear!" He excitedly looked at Matt, causing the boy to raise an eyebrow.

"Don't mind him, he's easily excited." Date waved his hand.

'Easily is an understatement.' A comical sweatdrop formed on Matt's head as the blonde went off on a tangent while saying the word "Cool!!!" every now than then.

"Well kid, give em' hell." Date walked off with Jason in tow.

"What an odd duo." Matt gazed at them as they entered and soon entered the building himself.

He gazed around at the surprisingly professional look. A nice maroon carpet, plenty of poker tables, the furniture was of a good quality, nice wooden beams and railings, yeah, it fit the look he envisioned for a place that housed universal entertainment would be.

"Excuse me young man, but you need to have money to play here." A man dressed in a suit addressed Matt. He oddly looked like the man who wished to escape capitalism by going into SPACE... if Matt had to compare him to anyone.

Instead of responding, Matt pulled out a stack of Jewels to show the man.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry sir! Please, allow me to direct you to a table." His personally did an immediate 180 at the sight of cash.

"Ah." He suddenly stopped. "Sir, do you happen to be a mage?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?" Matt was _really_ not in the mood for racism right now.

"N-not at all sir." The man desperately waved at the boy. "I just need you to wear this." He pulled out a bracelet with a green stone atop it.

"And this is...?" A brow of confusion was raised at the object.

"It's just a simple magic sealer Sir. We use it to ensure Mage's don't cheat... N-not that you would!" Genuine nervousness appeared on his face.

Matt sighed at the mess of a man and extended his right arm.

"Just shut up and put it on already."

The man noded and snapped the item shut around Matt's wrist. It was... odd to say the least. If Matt had to describe it, it was like still feeling your magic but not being able to draw it out. Like water sealed by a dam. After adjusting to the feeling, Matt followed him to a table that was almost full.

"Deal me in." The boy said as he hopped onto the tall chair by the table.

"The hell?! Who let a kid in?" One gambler said.

'Be quiet Matt, he's not worth it.' He mentally steeled himself.

"Ah shut it, just means easy money." Another said.

'Calm. I am calm. I am like the still oasis in the calm desert.' The boy tried to use zen to calm down.

"You got that right!" A third one laughed.

Matt's facial features twitched lightly as his grasp on his anger loosened.

The fourth one remained silent and kept an eye on Matt. Though Matt did notice the Magic Sealer on his wrist was also on the man he dubbed Mr. Silent. Unfortunately such thoughts were drowned out by the annoying laughing of the other three at the table.

'Oh I'm gonna enjoy bleeding these bastards dry.' Veins bulged on Matt's head as he received his chips and cards.

He looked at his cards expressionless. '10 and a 9 of Spades eh?' Scanning the table, he tried to get a read on everyone else.

The first guy that got on his case wasn't even trying to hide his joy in what he got. A wide smile on his face as he rubbed his thumb with his Index finger. As for number two, his eye very faintly twitched in clear annoyance, telling Matt his hand wasn't too hot. Number three scratched at his cheek. Another hand or two would need to pass to see if that was a subconscious thing. Lastly the fourth man was much like Matt, hard to get a read on.

Since Matt was to the left of the dealer, he went first.

"I'll raise." Matt threw in two of his chips. Better to start out small and judge hands by if anyone raises or not.

"Oh, the kiddie knows Poker lingo! Bwahahaha!" The first man laughed. Matt was _really_ starting to question if murder could be justified by provocation.

"Call." Cheek scratcher threw in two chips. He was somewhat unnerved by the aura beginning to seep from Matt since he was to the kids immediate left.

"Fold." The eye twitcher threw his cards. An 8 and 2 of hearts and clubs respectively.

"Call." The smiling man threw in his two.

"Fold." Mr. Silent threw his cards in. The table being very confused by the act.

'A queen and King of the same suit? Is he testing the waters with everyone else right now?' Matt thought as the dealer placed three community cards in the middle for The Flop.

A seven, Jack and four of spades were now exposed to the players. This caused mixed reactions around the table. Matt internally knew he could win with either an Eight of Spades or if a King and Queen of spades appeared. The odds were still low though.

The cheek scratcher clicked his tongue, obviously displeased by the results. The smile on the other man's face widened.

'He must either be going for a Royal or a Straight Flush.' Matt thought as he roughly deduced the cards in the man's hand.

"I'll check." Matt said as he tapped the table.

"Awww, what's da madder? Is the little kiddo scared?" The overly-confident man mocked Matt.

'CALM. PEACEFUL. MEADOWS.' Matt's hand began to crush the edge of the table.

"Sir, I must remind you open taunting is prohibited." The younger dealer spoke out against the man.

"Aw C'mon! I'm just teasing the kid is all!" He raised his hands defensively.

"Fold." Cheek scratcher threw his cards in. A 5 and 2 of Hearts and Diamonds respectively. He slightly moved his chair away from Matt.

"Raise." The smiling man threw in five chips.

'Oh ho? So he's that confident the dealer will draw the cards he needs eh?' He scowled at the overly excited man.

"Call." Matt threw in the equivalent chips.

The dealer drew another card. A five of hearts. That certainly didn't help either of them. Now it was do-or-die for Matt during The Turn.

"Check." His fingers lightly hit the table.

"Raise." The smile now morphed into a carnivorous one as ten chips went into the pile.

"Call." The dry tone gave away nothing as Matt threw in ten chips. He only had three chips left from his pile now.

The dealer drew the last card.

"Heh. Just give it up kid. This ain't a sport for brats like you to mingle around with. Poker is a man's game." He mocked the boy completely unprovoked.

"That so? Then you should probably head across the street to the park. I hear they just installed a new swing set. If I kick your ass out of this game right now, you miiight just make it before school gets out." His face was expressionless as he mocked the man in return.

"The hell did you say?!" He stood threateningly, catching the attention of onlookers.

Matt sighed at how impressivly the man genuinely annoyed the hell out of him. So, he did what he did best, tear his opponent apart without mercy.

"listen closely as I'll only say these words once, and that's almost too generous for you." His tone suddenly turned hostile. "You will never win a single game of Poker as long as I'm here. Why you ask? The answer is simple: I am hated by the universe." His words caused even Mr. Silent to look confused. "Yes, The Universe has deemed me as nothing more than a stain it wishes to remove from this world. However, each time it has tried, it has failed. I've overcome hurdles you couldn't even dream of, and yet you stand before me thinking yourself as superior? No. I am superior because I am hated. I am hated because I am strong. And I am strong, because I am a survivor. And your pathetic attempts to put me down have only dug your own grave." Matt grabbed the remainder of his chips. "All in." The chips bounced across the felt and fell over from their neat look as a small tower into a pile.

This action shocked the table. Even the silent man had his eyes widen in his first sign of visible emotion.

"Now allow me to show you just how outclassed you truly are, Mongrel." Matt maliciously smiled at the large man who was red with rage.

"Fine! All in!" He threw the last of his chips in and flipped his cards. A King and Ace of Spades. A wicked smile plastered across his face, sure the last card was an eight of spades, but there's no way he'd have-

"Hmph. Pathetic. Challenge me again in a thousand years when your skills are worth more than a single grain of wheat." Matt threw out his cards.

"The hell?!" The man shouted in shock.

"The young man wins with a Straight Flush." The chips were pushed over to Matt by the dealer.

"Bullshit! The kid cheated! He's already a mage!" He pointed his right hand at Matt which was suddenly seized by the silent man.

"The only cheater here is you." With his other hand, he removed the fake thumb from the yelling man's finger. Small, folded cards spilled from it.

'So he caught it too eh?' Matt smirked at the silent man.

The cheater was removed from the building shortly afterwards.

"Now then gentlemen, let's get back to the game." The dealer addressed the remaining players.

* * *

"Damn!" Scratchy yelled as he was eliminated. Matt, realizing his scratching was a tell of a bad hand, easily goaded him into betting it all, only to loose.

The same fate befell Twitchy who was eliminated by Mr. Silent after the big guy had deduced the twitching was a fake out. His real tell being the grinding of the toes of his shoes into the floor.

Now it was down to him and Matt.

"Gentlemen, your cards." The dealer dealt them their two cards.

The silent man looked at his cards with a true poker face. Matt however tried something different. He knew the older man had a much better poker face than his own, so he resorted to ol' reliable. Plan B.

"Sir? Your cards." The dealer said to Matt.

"I don't need to look at them to know I'll win." A confident smirk rose on Matt's face.

Now that caused the poker face of the silent man to slip.

"Oh? Aren't you a little overconfident?" A narrowing scowl crept its way into his face.

"Not at all." He shrugged honestly. "I can tell you've been closely watching me this entire time. So I'm gonna cause your profile on me to crumble to dust." Matt smirked at the man who looked at him with surprise.

"I didn't think you'd noticed. You're sharper than you look." He grinned slightly.

"Well, what can I say besides: Bet." Matt threw in five chips.

"Call."

The dealer flipped over three cards.

"Oi oi. Date, isn't that kinda risky?" Jason looked at his mentor as they watched on since Matt humiliated that first player.

"To anyone else, absolutely. However that kid gives me a weird vibe. It's like when he's in the zone he exudes this aura of authority. Practically draws you to him." Date pulled out a cigarette. "Kid sure ain't stupid, he has a plan." Lighting it, he took a hit. "Not sure what it is though."

"Raise." Matt immediately threw in fifteen chips.

"Call." The man responded in kind.

The fourth card appeared on the table.

"I should tell you that I already have you figured out." Matt smiled at the man as he rested his head in his hand.

"Oh? And pray tell what have you "figured out"?"

"Easy. Whenever your hand is crap your head slightly shakes from tensing muscles. You didn't do it in the first round, but you did in the round I won against Scratchy." Matt smirked as he popped a lollipop.

"Hoh. That's a bold assumption to make based on three instances." The man bluffed.

"I don't assume, I state facts." He pointed the carmelized candy at the man. "Speaking of which: raise." Another ten chips went into the pile.

"Call." Immediately the man threw in the equivalent.

The final card was flipped onto the table.

"So Mr. Silent, ya got a name?" Matt leaned back into the chair, completely lax and in control.

"Jura. Jura Neekis." He smiled at the boy.

"Matthew Atlas. Pleasure to meetcha." He smiled before wordlessly pushing all his chips into the pile.

"Likewise Mr. Atlas." Jura grinned as he also went all-in and flipped his cards.

"Mr. Neekis has a straight." The dealer raised Jura's eight and nine of different suits with the table's Queen, Jack and Ten of Spades.

"I see, so that's how far you go huh?" Matt smirked before grabbing his cards. "Your skills have a way to go before they reach mine." He threw his cards down to the massive shock of everyone.

"Mr. Atlas has a Royal Flush and wins the pot." The dealer barely got the words out from his shock.

"How did you…?!" Jura looked on in shock.

"Heh. I already told you: I am the man that breaks the chains of fate that block his path. This was no different than the usual for me." A wide grin made it's way to Matt's face.

"Everyone here has a real nasty habit of holding cards a bit too firmly, even our young and inexperienced dealer is guilty of this. That means a slight bend can be seen on the card if one looks close enough." He turned the king that was in his hand sideways, revealing a slight bend. "So all it came down to was memorizing which people bended which cards in their own specific manner, remember said cards, and figure out which ones were in play to tell if I should keep going or fold. Theoretically I could've stalled all day until just the right set-up."

"Goddamn. He is good." Date smirked as he gazed at the boy who exuded pure confidence.

Jura bitterly smiled before standing and extending his hand.

"It was an honor to match wits with you Mr. Atlas."

Matt took his hand, "Likewise Jura. Hopefully we can meet again on less competitive terms."

The big man smiled and left the table.

"So what now?" Matt asked the dealer.

"The winners of the tables will gather for one last large game." They stated as they collected Matt's chips.

"I see." Matt got up and followed the man to the final round.

Matt had won far easier here than he did against Jura. The check he won was for fifty million Jewels. An absurd amount of money compared to what Guild Jobs give. After he had the money magically wired to his bank, he left the building.

"Hell of a show you put on kid." Date approached him with a grin.

"What can I say? I'm good at games." Matt shrugged as he placed his hands in his pockets, his usual indifferent expression back.

"Well if you really are, Hargeon has a Blackjack tournament like this one coming up in a couple weeks." Date handed Matt a flier for it. "I'd love to see if you're as good at different games as your boast implies."

"Maybe you will, maybe you won't. Depends on my mood." Matt shrugged and walked back to the guild, lazily waving goodbye to the reporter.

"Heh, kid's got spunk. Though not often you see someone back up their claims like that." Date looked at Matt as he walked off. "Wonder how he'll use all that potential?" He smirked before walking off to find Jason and head back to his hotel for the night.

* * *

King Fiore was currently writing the last of his letters neccessary for his big plan. Within Crocus was that massive Coliseum that served no purpose anymore. It was a symbol of the old Fiore that embraced slavery like its neighboring country long ago.

So he decided that needed to change.

A knocking at the door came as he folded the paper.

"Come in!" He spoke to Arcadios who'd been helping him with the project by handing off the letters to the neccessary couriers.

"Is this the last one my King?" He took the letter as Toma nodded.

"Indeed! That one is to be sent to Pergrande. The last Kingdom I'm requesting a representative from." He smiled as his plan was coming to fruition.

"The Council was quite surprised by the nature of the letter you sent them if the Courier's story is honest."

"I can't blame them, however they too expressed intrest in the idea. So I have high hopes furthur discussion will bare fruit!" He smiled and hopped off the chair, walking towards a large board that served as the center of his plan.

A plan to unite wizards and show the world how wonderful magic can be!

This plan's name: The Grand Wizard Tournament.

* * *

"Big Brother where are we going?" Kagura asked as Matt led her and Erza across a field.

He pointed to the top of the hill in front of them. "Your new abode." He smirked as he kept walking.

The trio reached the top of the hill where Cana, a few various girls and an old lady were waiting. Behind them was a giant building with three floors and new everything.

"About time you got here. My aching bones could only stand so long." The old lady chided Matt.

"Yeah yeah." He dismissed her words with a wave. "Anyways you lot, Granny Hilda will show you all around." He spoke before turning to leave.

"You're not coming?" Cana tilted her head at Matt.

"No men allowed." Hilda explained to the girls unanimous "Ah."

Matt walked off with a faint smile on his face. He'd used all the winnings from that Poker Tournament a month ago to completely renovate the old hotel that was there. Hilda was reluctant at first until he told her that it was exclusively for the girls of the guild, most of whom lived in cheap apartments or old buildings. Afterwards she was surprisingly all for it, especially after Matt said he'd personally pay for the renovations.

The boy stopped and stretched his body before exhaling. 'Now that that's taken care of, I think I'll go out for dinner tonight.' Matt walked around town until coming across a quaint, homey little restaurant by the river.

In terms of food quality, Matt was impressed by it. The service was nice, if a little awkward over the server thinking Matt was a sassy lost child at first. That was resolved with a monetary flash. The boy wondered if that was the universal solution to get people off his back over his age.

'I'll be 13 next year damnit! I do _not_ deserve this kind of judgment.' He pouted as he walked around town. It was late in the evening and the sun was beginning to set.

He saw a small figure by the riverbank.

'Is that Erza?' Matt titled his head and squinted. 'Guess she must be thinking about something.' He shrugged and continued on his way.

"Ah, Matt!" Gray shouted as he ran over to him.

"Sup?" Matt greeted him.

"Have you seen Erza?" He asked while lightly jogging in place.

"Are you trying to pick another fight with her?" Matt raised a judgemental brow at the boy.

"N-no!" He avoided eye contact with Matt.

"Gray…" Matt scowled at the boy.

"I mean why shouldn't I?!" He shouted at the older kid. "She doesn't talk to us, she doesn't eat with us and she doesn't even party with us! How can she be family if all she ever does is just sit there in silence and ignore us?!"

Matt sighed before crouching down, looking him in the eye. "Gray, sometimes people just need time."

"Time for what?"

"To heal, to open up, to think of the right words to say." Matt listed off reasons. "Y'know Erza is honestly a lot like how Cana was at first."

The Ice-Make Mage's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Oh yeah. She just sat by herself in silence and barely talked to anyone." Matt recalled the times when Cana was solely there for Gildarts. "Look at her now though? Outgoing. Smiling."

"Giving bad fortunes." Gray pouted before laughing a bit.

"See? Just gotta give her some time. She'll open up eventually. Be it by herself or some other method."

'And by "some other method" you mean you get fed up and give her a talking to.' Gray rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Were you mocking me?" Matt scowled at the boy.

"Nope!" Gray said before running off.

"Man oh man, these kids are gonna be the death of me." He stood with a sigh before smiling. "You can come out, he's gone." Matt spoke to seemingly no one until Erza came out.

She'd bought some armor to go with her clothes after Matt gave her some spending money.

"Thank you..." She said looking down. Matt could see the redness of her eye from recent tears. He looked up a bit towards the sky, seemingly in contemplation.

"You ever had cake before?" Matt asked the girl who looked confused, but shook her head. "C'mon, I know just the place." He headed out not even making sure she was behind him.

* * *

"Mmmm." Erza cooed with stars in her eye as she took another bite of the Strawberry Cake in front of her.

'I did not anticipate this reaction.' Matt smiled with a comical sweatdrop behind his head. His own cake half-eaten at this point.

Once Erza finished her cake, she placed the fork down and sat silently.

"Do you want more or-" Matt asked before being cut off.

"Why are you so nice to me?" Erza looked at him with her one eye.

"Do I need a specific reason to be nice to a guild mate?" Matt tilted his head in confusion.

"You've made me breakfast, lunch and dinner every night since I've joined, you bought me clothes, found me a place to live and even gave me spending money. All of that without asking for a thing in return."

'Well that and I'm paying your rent along with Cana's and Kagura's at Fairy Hills…' Matt kept that fact to himself.

"So why? Why are you doing this for me?" Erza gazed at him, genuinely stupefied by his actions.

Matt looked at the owner of the shop who nodded and went to the back so the talk was private.

"You know why I like cake so much?" He started as he looked at the chocolate cake fondly.

"No." She dryly replied, not understanding where this was going.

"See my dad was a busy guy. You could count the number of times he'd be home on both hands and have fingers left over." He set the fork down and leaned back in the chair. "And whenever he did get home, it was always after my siblings and I were long asleep. But you know how we could always tell whenever he'd be home?"

The redhead shook her head, some genuine curiosity now evident. She always wondered what a family was like...

A fond smile rose on Matt's lips, "We'd smell all the miscellaneous things he cooked that morning. Cookies, Brownies, Cupcakes, Muffins, and the pièce de résistance." He gestured to the chocolate cake.

"My siblings and I would always bolt down the stairs and hug him, say hi, all that stereotypical crap. Then we ate a breakfast he made as a family. One of the few times we ever got to do that every year."

His face somewhat dulled as his heart ached beyond belief at the memories. Though he quickly snapped back as this wasn't the time or the place.

"Anyways to make a long, boring story short: it reminds me of home. It lets me know that I came from somewhere that loved me for being me."

Erza gazed at her own empty plate. She'd never had a palace like that. She was initially rather jealous of Matt, however the past tense wording told her everything she needed to know about that. Maybe they were more similar than she initially thought.

Matt, seeing she may not have quite gotten the point tried again with a less personal approach and more to the point.

"Erza you're a member of Fairy Tail correct?" The redhead nodded in response. "Then that's all the reason I need. Fairy Tail is one big family, and you're a part of it just like everyone else."

"But you heard Gray! He's absolutely right. I don't talk to anyone, I don't even join the festivities when I could. All I am is a parasite, leeching off the guild for my own benefit…" She looked down, dejected by her own admission.

"That so? Then tell me, why did you join?" He rested his head on his hand.

"That's because… I just knew about it." Erza swallowed the bitter memory of Rob.

"Oh? And pray tell, if you're such a leech, than why do you look conflicted every time I do something for you? Leeches don't feel guilt about their actions."

"That's…" Erza tried to answer but couldn't.

"Y'know for someone who tries to play the "lone wolf" bit, you certainly care about my generosity enough to feel guilt."

"That's not true! I don't need you or anyone from the guild! I'm fine on my own, heck I even prefer it!" She stood and shouted at the boy across from her. How dare he assume that she wasn't an awful human being! She'd abandoned all of her friends! She's responsible for killing Grandpa Rob! She couldn't save Jellal! She was no-good and didn't deserve happiness!

"Then why do you sit all by yourself and cry?" His question and quick and blunt.

Her eye widened at his absolute demolishing of her defenses with a single sentence.

"Th-that's. I…" Her fists clenched and shook as she absolutely failed to refute him. She stood in shock as she felt herself enveloped in a hug.

"Erza, you're not alone anymore. You have everyone of Fairy Tail. We aren't going anywhere. So live your life the way you see fit. Be who you want to be and let go of what holds you back." He spoke with a soft expression.

As he spoke Erza could've sworn she heard the voice of Grandpa Rob coming from him. That finally broke the cracked floodgates for her. She wailed into the boys shoulder and hugged him so tightly it hurt. For what had to be the first time, she allowed herself to cry not for others, but for herself.

**Well howdiddly there readers!**

**So this chapter had a good amount of things going on so we'll take em' on one-by-one.**

**Firstly we get introduced to another main cast member, Erza. I really don't know what to say in regards to her too much right now. She'll definitely play a role in Matt's development as he plays a significantly larger one in her own. Naturally as Kagura is still traumatized, she's not gonna remember Erza anytime soon and the feeling is mutual.**

**Next up we got Jura! Jura is honestly a pretty underutilized character that's probably one of my favorite side characters. We'll be seeing him quite a bit for the near future so get used to him.**

**The Poker tournament was interesting to write for, especially Matt's tangent towards Mr. Smile there. As mentioned Matt just kinda has a switch that when flipped makes him a bit different. We'll see some of this two-faced behavior here and there.**

**And we have the reveal of our first arc. It's a TOURNAMENT AAAAAARRRRRCCCCC... cue all the hype music and whatever else Gigguk edited in that one video. Yup! We're starting out with a classic. Honestly this arc is moreso prep for me to see what works and what doesn't so the GMG turn out better down the line... whenever we get to that arc.**

**Next chapter will obviously have the proper start of the arc, but a few things are gonna happen beforehand. So stick around next time to see what I got in store!**

**Until next time!**


	10. Let the Games Begin!

**Tally-ho readers! It's time once again for that thing I do to artificially inflate the word count!**

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**What? At least I'm honest.**

**Arclight001: **Okay, firstly what's with people asking questions to things that either get answered or expanded upon the very next chapter. Gonna have to start a bet pool at this rate.

As for your inquiry towards Kuriboh: honestly outside chapter 2 he's really only had chapter 6 and 8 to appear. In both situations, he wasn't really needed. Truthfully most of these early chapters were written literally months ago, so I don't quite remember my mentality at the time.

**Middernacht: **I apologize if I didn't make my general idea surrounding the relationship Erza and Kagura will have for now too clear. Essentially I'm just pocketing that revelation for later just like Mashima did. I'm not quite sure when I'll dive into it, but considering both characters as of now are still pretty traumatized, don't expect it before canon. Maybe I'll change my mind and figure out a fantastic time for it, or maybe not. You and I will both have to wait and see.

**With that out of the way, please! Enjoy the chapter!**

The clashing of steel within the normally silent forest echoed from the clearing it was coming from. Erza blocked a swing and then parried another, trying to drive her dulled practice sword into the body of Matt. However he wasn't giving her an inch.

They fell into a pattern of Matt on the offense with Erza in defense before a short swap until they reverted to the original methodology. This had been their typical pattern for the past year now. Shortly after receiving her new eye, Erza asked Matt if he could train her swordsmanship. The boy naturally accepted and they started training. Even Kagura got into it recently, though her smaller stature meant Erza was her opponent.

Matt had shot up in height around the start of his teenage years. He was now a solid 5'7 and seemed to only get taller and taller as the months rolled on. His magic had vastly improved as well, a few new cards had been added to his deck along with some new tricks.

"That's enough for now." Matt dropped his stance and walked over to a nearby branch that held two towels. "You're getting better." He threw one to Erza and wiped his face with the other.

"It helps I have such a good teacher." She wiped her face of sweat.

"Ha! I wouldn't go that far." A cynical chortle came from the teen.

"I'm not so sure about that. You did teach every kid here how to write and read if they needed it." Ah yes, his old Matt Sensei persona. He hasn't broken that out for a while now.

"Eh, transferring basic knowledge is one thing. But I don't think I'm that good at trying to teach what just comes to me." Matt shrugged as he placed the towel over his shoulder.

"I'm learning pretty well and Kagura is too." Erza placed the towel in her Requip space.

"Well you two are even more talented at this kind of stuff than me, so you guys can keep up with my train of thought." The duo began to head back to the guild.

Suddenly an immense magic power resonated from a distance away. Matt looked in the direction with shock evident on his face. Even Erza who was still getting the hang of feeling magic energy could feel it.

"Let's hurry back!" He spoke before breaking into a run.

"Yeah!"

The duo headed back to the guild with extreme haste. They saw Makarov gazing in the direction of the power outside the guild hall.

"Master!" Erza shouted as he turned to face the two.

"Ah, Matt, Erza, good I was about to go fetch you two myself." He greeted the duo in a serious tone.

"What's going on Master?" The teen asked with evident concern. Was it an invasion? A single powerful foe?

"I don't know…" Makarov grimly stated. "For now, keep an eye on the guild for me Matt."

"And you?" Already having a feeling what Makarov was gonna say, Matt clenched his fist.

"I'm going to investigate that nearby anomaly."

"Are you sure you should go alone?" Erza stated with clear worry.

"Oh don't worry about me. I'm pretty strong too ya know!" Makarov pointed at himself with a playful smile.

Matt sighed at the old man's antics. "Alright then. But if you aren't back before closing time, I'm coming after you." His words were adamant.

Makarov simply nodded at the boy and walked off to see what that mysterious power was.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Erza looked at Matt with concern.

"It's fine, despite his appearance and personality, the old man is one of the ten strongest mages on the continent." Smiling in an attempt to ease the girl's worry.

Erza's expression softened a bit, but a nagging sensation still tore at her mind.

"C'mon, it's about time for lunch anyways."

The promise of Matt's cooking made the girl follow with gusto.

About five hours had passed since Makarov left. Matt would be lying if he didn't feel slightly worried. Though he did have faith in Makarov's abilities, there were people and things out there that could give the man some trouble in a fight. Thankfully his fears would end as Makarov reentered the guild with some unexpected company.

A pink-haired boy looked around in clear awe. His smile was wide as he looked at some of the guild members. Makarov took a seat by Reedus who had already pulled out his sketch book, easily anticipating something interesting occurring.

"Who the hell are you?" Gray raised his brow at the boy.

The pinkette glared at Gray at his tone.

"What? You got a problem with me?" Gray sent his own glare at the boy.

"And what if I do?" The boy stood his ground.

Murmurs from the guild wondered if the two would actually fight. While it wouldn't be anything new, the only kids that really threw down were Matt and Gray, so their worry over some new kid getting his ass kicked did spread around the guild.

"Gray! Your clothes!" Cana shouted at the boy.

"Not again!" He shouted in distress. Everyone then promptly remembered that Gray was... Gray.

"Heh. What a pervert." The new arrival scoffed at Gray with a smug smirk. The Mage then immediately stared him down. Their forehands colliding as they glared daggers at each other.

"Who you callin' a pervert Pinkie?!"

"You! Ya annoying stripper!"

The two then immediately started a fist fight.

"Well he's a fiesty one ain't he?" Makarov joked at the boy's attitude, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"Yup! He'll fit in ju~st fine." Reedus smirked as he continued to draw.

"That's enough!" Erza broke up the fight. "Gray you know better than to pick fights with strangers!" She began to scold him.

The pinkette glared at the new arrival with evident hostility.

"What!? You want some of this too?!" The pink-haired bundle of energy yelled at Erza.

Gray tried to warn him to stop, however both were chucked into the wall by the redhead.

"Seriously, what fools." Erza harshly exhaled as Gray groaned out a "why me?". "You're not to fight. Do I make myself clear?" She glared at the duo with fierce venom.

"Yes ma'am!" Gray quickly spoke out from habit.

When both he and the boy landed, they were clutching their heads in pain.

"Woah! Scar~y." The new boy looked at Erza cautiously as he spoke.

"Hey kid, what's your name?" Her words looked like a mere inquiry, but her tone was akin to a bad cop.

The pinkette turned with a pout. "Natsu."

"Natsu huh? Well listen up, we here at Fairy Tail treat each other like a family. So you could say this Guild Hall is our home. Meaning fights aren't allowed in here. Got it?" She chided the boy for following the Unspoken Rule of Fairy Tail #1: FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT.

'You say that and yet we have them basically every day...' Matt sweat dropped at her words.

"Yeah, I got it." Natsu pouted in defeat.

"Then welcome to Fairy Tail! I'm Erza, nice to meetcha'." She greeted the boy with a smile.

"She's so mean…" Natsu muttered.

"For real." Gray agreed with the boy. They turned to each other and smiled, but quickly turned away.

Erza decided to continue introductions for the guild. "The naked boy is Gray." Gray protested at that statement before looking down at himself and immediately running to find his clothes. "The burnette girl is Cana." The Card Mage smiled and waved at Natsu. "The girl with the ribbon is Kagura." Kagura looked at Natsu with curiosity. "Lastly the boy next to Kagura is Matt."

"Sup." He nodded upwards at the boy.

Natsu looked at Matt excitedly before approaching him.

"I wanna fight you!" Cue the sudden face plant of the entire guild.

"What did I just say?!" Erza yelled at Natsu.

Matt looked at the boy a bit bewildered before laughing.

"Alright, how about you get used to the guild first before that happens eh?" Matt smiled and ruffled Natsu's hair. This caused Erza to sigh in defeat.

"He's gotta join first though." Makarov approached the group. "So, what do you think of Fairy Tail?" He smiled at the boy.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool here. I think I'll join!" He smiled at Makarov who nodded and went to grab the Stamp. Once he was gone, Natsu turned to Matt with an excited smile. "So who is the strongest person in the guild?"

"Oh, easily Gildarts. I don't even hold a candle to that man." Matt waved his hand back and forth.

"I don't know, I'd say you're in the top 5." Macao added nearby.

"I'd say it probably goes Gildarts, Master, and then it's kind of fuzzy between you and Laxus." Wakaba scratched his head at that matchup. Most of the older guild members agreed with that ranking.

"I don't think I've ever even seen that guy lately." With a hand to his chin, Matt tried to remember any time he may have seen the teen after Ivan was booted... literally and metaphorically.

"He's normally around when you aren't." Cana clarified that oddity to Matt.

"Huh. That explains a lot actually." Secretly, Matt hoped it wasn't some kind of Ivan-related grudge.

"Still, you two duking it out would be something…" Gray tried to imagine how that fight would go.

"Eh. Doesn't really matter to me personally." Shrugging, Matt dismissed the idea entirely. By the time that conversation was done, Makarov had returned with a Stamp and made Natsu an official member.

"Don't I gotta sign anything?" Natsu asked realizing it was kinda odd a guild didn't have everyone sign something. Igneel did teach him that signing his name on things would be neccessary after all.

"Nope. The Master just gets your personal info and sends it to the council personally via mail. Just easier for the council to have documentation in consistent handwriting." The teen clarified for Natsu, seeing as he was also confused by that back when he joined as well.

The pinkette nodded at his words before quickly smiling and checking out his new Guild Stamp. His eyes shined with excitement. "So what do guilds do normally?" Once again, his question caused most of the Guild to face plant.

Matt laughed before answering Natsu's question. "Well typically you take on jobs or hang out around here." Natsu nodded at his words. "The request board is over there by the entrance. Jobs range from D-Class to A-Class and you get money and/or whatever reward the client offers on the flier. It's a bit competitive on the lower Classes due to how many people like to run them. So make sure you get stronger to grab higher level jobs!"

"Right!" Natsu excitedly nodded, understanding the clear explanation... okay everything between "A-rank" and "get stronger" was a blur, but that didn't matter!

"Speaking of which, you going on a job soon Matt?" Macao asked the teen.

"Nah, I got that big Tournament that the King is hosting to train for anyways. The prize money is about ten times what A-Class usually pays." Ever since the Poker Tournament, Matt had been on a tear though the Professional Game scene. He easily earned triple doing that hobby than being a Mage. This was due to the remaining 90% of the non-magical population valuing entertainment that wasn't Magic much higher. Movies, TV, Game Tournaments and Competitions, the general public had many vices through which to spend cash on.

To put it simply, Matt didn't really do Mage work too often anymore. Between his hobby, need of money to pay for the Girls' rent at Fairy Hills, keeping the guild in order, cleaning up, cooking, hanging out with his friends, training, and helping Master with some of his duties like organizing documents, Matt was swamped with work.

He'd actually almost passed out a few times over the recent months from sheer exhaustion. A part of him wondered if he was doing all this because he still intended to find a way home and felt guilt, or if it was because he'd already abandoned that and subconsciously assimilated himself into the family of Fairy Tail.

It's been about three years since that incident with Wicker Man. Truthfully Matt still has nightmares of that night. Half the time he's lucky to land four hours of sleep at best. Probably why his eye bags went from being subtle, to full-blown bad makeup.

"Is everything okay Big Brother?" Kagura looked at him with clear worry.

Matt patted her head. "I'm fine, just thinking about some things is all." A smile managed to ease her on the outside. On the inside however, that was a different story. It probably started because of that one night a little less than a year ago.

* * *

Kagura entered the Hall with the key her Big Brother had made for her after that one really bad night. She closed and locked the door again, just like she was instructed to, and made her way to Matt's room. She lightly knocked on the door.

"Big brother? It's me. I had another one..." When she didn't get a quick response, she got a little worried. Her hand grabbed the knob and twisted it. Gently opening the door revealed Matt who was breathing heavily and thrashing around in his sleep.

"Big Brother?" Kagura looked on, worried about him.

"N-no! Stay back damn monster!" He yelled with his eyes closed and thrashed around. His voice filled with genuine fear as his body tried to fight something that was not there.

Kagura looked on with genuine shock. This was the first time Kagura had seen her Big Brother like this. He was always so calm and collected, it's one of the things she admired about him. But this? Kagura knew exactly what this was. She'd also had similar types of dreams before. To think he would get them too though…

Kagura wordlessly approached Matt, climbed on the bed and proceeded to hug him. That seemed to calm him down considerably. His breathing returned to normal, however what came next would never leave the girl's head for years to come.

Tears openly fell from his face as he whimpered the word "scary" over and over again. Her hug on him tightened.

'Big Brother.. I promise that I'll get string enough to protect you from anything bad.' The girl swore to herself as she spent the rest of the night with Matt.

* * *

"Well, I better get back to trainin'." Matt stood with a stretch. "Can never be too safe when it comes to these kinds of things." He began to head towards his regular spot to train.

"Oh yeah, he did mention a tournament. What's that all about?" Macao asked, addressing the Master.

"Ah, it's a pretty unique sort of tournament. The King is hosting a tournament along with sponsorship from the Magic Council. The thirty two most promising young Mages across the continent will gather to determine who the strongest is." Makarov took a drink to let the info soak. "Matt was the sole member of Fairy Tail to receive an invite. In fact, according to some hearsay, only two people in Fiore got invited."

"Huh? But what about Laxus?" Wakaba spoke the thing on everyone's mind. If this was a competition for younger Mages, Gildarts obviously wasn't gonna get an invite. But Makarov's grandson wasn't anything to scoff at either.

"As far as I know he either wasn't invited, or turned it down." The old man shrugged in seeming indifference. Laxus had been… moody to say the least since Ivan was excommunicated. However the power of puberty was definitely making him worse. The old man was naturally concerned, but was deciding to wait it out and see if he mellows in a couple of years.

"Well either way, it sounds awesome!" Natsu exclaimed in clear excitement of the idea.

"Cool your jets. These guys are from all over the continent and were hand-picked by the King. All of them are way above your level." Gray chided Natsu's lack of sense.

"Shut it boxer boy!"

"What'd you say to me beady eyes?!"

Once again those two were at it, and once again Erza broke up their fight.

"Both of you settle down!" The redhead easily subdued them.

"Why do I get the feeling this is gonna be their dynamic from now on?" A nervous chuckle left Macao.

"You're tellin' me." The chain smoker took a hit of his cigarette.

Natsu suddenly jerked up and sniffed the air. His eyes opened up wide suddenly and he bolted from the guild to everyone's confusion.

"What's up with him?" Cana raised a brow at the pinkette's sudden action.

"Don't know, but I better go make sure he isn't doing anything foolish." Erza sighed and quickly left to go after him.

Natsu ran in the direction of the nearby forest of the guild.

'This smell... is it you Igneel?' Natsu's sniffed the air in order to make sure his nose wasn't deceiving him.

"Very good Master. Continue to let your Magic Power flow out just like that." A faint voice called out in the direction Natsu was heading. Though the boy ignored it as the smell he was seeking intensified.

In his haste however, what he thought was the darkness of the deeper forest was actually something he collided face-first into.

Immediately falling back onto his butt, Natsu clutched his forehead in pain.

"Ow~. What was that?" Groaning in pain, Natsu looked up to examine what seemed to be a black wall. He sniffed the air momentarily. "Well this is what I smelled. Though I don't think Igneel was a wall... or black." Scratching his head, Natsu walked around the wall.

"Oh, it was you Natsu." Matt looked over at the boy who'd just arrived. "What are you doing here?" Natsu saw the familiar teen with some guy in purple armor behind him.

"Well I though I smelled my dad, but I guess I was wrong." Natsu's face dropped a little.

"I don't see how Red-Eyes could be your father." The teen raised a brow. "Can you even reproduce with humans?" He directed the question to what Natsu thought was a wall. However said wall unfurled itself into a Dragon.

"It was a Dragon I smelled!" Natsu looked at Red-Eyes in shock.

"Wait, your dad is a dragon?" Matt looked at Natsu curiously. The boy certainly didn't look draconian. Then again he hadn't been on the internet for years, so he had no idea if human's with internal... Matt decided to drop that mental image. Alcohol would be sure to remove it after the guild closed.

"Mmhm. His name is Igneel." The boy's expression was one of joy that quickly morphed into sorrow. "Though he just went and abandoned me earlier today."

"I see." Matt felt bad for the kid. Losing a parent is one thing, but being abandoned by one? That was debatably worse. "You know anything about an Igneel?" He questioned his own dragon.

A short left Red-Eyes' nose.

"No Ig-neel. Not iguana. How'd you even get an A in there?"

Another snort.

"Don't give me that attitude! Just answer the damn question!" He scolded the dragon.

A growl this time.

"I see. And we'll discuss your choice of language in front of others another time mister." He glared at the Dragon before turning to Natsu. "Sorry, Red-Eyes doesn't know. He's a Duel Monster, not a natural dragon from this world, so he's never even heard of your dad."

"It's fine, I'll find him eventually." Natsu gripped his scarf with determination.

"Did he also make that for you?" He gestured to the white scarf.

"Yup! Igneel also taught me really cool Magic! Wanna see?!" Natsu excitedly asked Matt.

At first he looked over to Dark Magician who nodded. "Sure." He shrugged. "Just use that big boulder over there for practice." Matt pointed over to a large rock he had Grand Mole dig up that he tested various things on.

"Got it!" Natsu ran over with Matt watching. Once he was about ten feet from his he placed two fists in front of his mouth. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" A small stream of fire came out from his mouth and lightly singed the rock.

"Dragon magic?" Matt titled his head, trying to decipher the kind of magic Natsu used.

"Kinda. It's Dragon Slayer Magic!" He corrected the teen before charging at the rock. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" A ball of fire wrapped itself around his hand and he hit the boulder. Nothing visibly happened immediately though. "Hey Matt." The pinkette squeaked out.

"Yeah Natsu?"

"Does anyone in the guild know how to fix a broken hand?" Sweat poured from the boy's face as tears welled in the corners of his eyes.

Matt chuckled before motioning the boy over. His hand was swollen red and comically pulsing.

"Now then, I'll show you some of my abilities too." Matt tried to distract the boy from his pain which seemingly worked, Natsu now looked at Matt interested in his words. "Come out Kuriboh!" He drew a card and summoned the familiar mascot.

"Kuri!" The hairball squeaked.

"Woah! Do you summon Spirits or something?"

"Kinda." Matt looked at Kuriboh. "Do your stuff Little Guy."

"Kuri!" He happily said as a light glowed from his body momentarily before he disappeared.

"Hey." Natsu looked at his hand confused. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Kuriboh's special ability allows it to heal the past minute of wounds at the price of de-summoning it for a while."

"Cool! Do your other Spirits have abilities like that?!" He excitedly asked the teen.

"Depends." The teen shrugged. "Red-Eyes over there doesn't have any special abilities that aren't purely offensive." Gesturing to the Dragon who snorted in a manner that said "Defending is for cowards!". "Meanwhile Dark Magician has a ton of versatility. But nothing like what Kuriboh can do. Although I do have another Spirit that has really unique powers, but I rarely bring that guy out."

"If you're referring to who I think you are, then yes he is a bit... eccentric." Dark Magician added, trying to obscure the odd face he was making.

"Wait, how come you can understand the ones that don't talk like that guy?" Natsu gestured to Dark Magician.

"Y'know I honestly don't know. I just can." He shrugged indifferently.

"I think I can explain Master. See Duel Monsters choose their owners, and because of that, we are ingrained into your very soul in a sort of manner. Red-Eyes was even summoned from the cry of your soul, which is also a very likely way you can call out even stronger members of our species." The Magician explained the phenomena to the two.

"I see. So the best way to get stronger is to find new resolve in my heart and soul?"

"Essentially, yes." He nodded in response to Matt's question. Matt immediately pictured himself putting a gun to his head and shouting a copyright infringed series name.

"Speaking of stronger, how many strong opponents do you think there'll be at that tournament?" Natsu gazed at Matt with stars in his eyes.

"Dunno." He honestly shrugged, "Probably a lot though, this is a gathering of the most promising youths all across the continent. I already got an idea on one guy I could be facing though…" Matt smirked at the prospect of fighting Jura.

He was certainly shocked when he discovered Jura was a rather well-regarded mage from a guild called Lamia Scale. Makarov had mentioned the guild to Matt once, describing their master as, "An old bat with a rotation fetish."

Matt dare not mention the times Makarov had allowed his lecherous side to influence his decisions at the guild. The night a drunken Makarov told everyone he was gonna have stripper poles installed on the second floor both annoyed and pleased most of the guild. It took a stern scolding and threat of cut alcohol funds from Matt to set him straight.

"There you are Natsu. Oh, and Matt is here as well." Erza walked into the clearing.

"Hey Erza, what's going on?" The teen greeted the redhead.

"I was just making sure Natsu wasn't getting in any trouble is all." She sighed in relief that he was just seeing Matt.

"I don't always get into fights y'know!" The pinkette pouted.

"Easy kid, she's just a worrywart for fellow members of the Guild." Laughing, Matt patted the boys head.

"When is the tournament by the way?" He asked the teen.

"Hmmm. Erza, what's the date today?"

"July 7th X777." She easily read off from memory.

"Then it's a little over three weeks from now, on the first of August."

"If that's the case, then you should focus on getting as strong as you can." Erza conceded as she grabbed Natsu by the shirt and dragged him off.

"Wait! I wanted to fight him though!" Natsu whined in defeat as he was manhandled by the redhead.

"She really is no-nonsense nowadays." Matt weakly chuckled.

"The girl is right though Master. You should focus on this. Let's go over our goals before the Tournament." Dark Magician set things back on track.

"Right." He nodded and took crossed his legs as he sat down. "First off I need to be able to maintain high-levels for extended periods of time, multiple times a day."

"Good. Ideally you should aim for thirty minutes at your current level and three times a day." The Magician nodded in agreement.

"Next I need to raise my Containers capacity so I can summon three high-levels at once."

"A fair point. I know of some creatures that require at minimum three creatures at once." Dark Magician recalled some of his fellow spirits.

"Lastly I need to expand my strategies to include all my combat Monsters in every combination. Potentially even combo their attacks with my own."

"Yes, your strength lies in your sheer versatility. Making sure your opponent never knows what you'll do next is a great advantage in battle, but an even greater one in a tournament."

"Yeah. With thirty-two people I'll have five fights. I may know who my next opponent will be, but the final answer potentially won't come until after I've fought." That fact depended on his bracket placement.

"Now that we have that sorted out, let's continue."

"Right!" Matt's expression and will filled with determination.

* * *

"Your Highness! Where do I put these documents?!" An aide called out, holding a massive stack of papers.

"Over with the other piles by the bookshelf!" He responded as he drew out the chart of fighters.

The tournament had taken an exceptionally long time to set up. However getting every country on the continent to not only consent, but also reccomend some mages and representatives in a mere year was unheard of. Hell, the event itself was the first time the countries interacted in any meaningful manner since the previous Trade War.

"Your Majesty, we've just received word the Pergrande representative will have to cancel." Arcadios came in with the bad news.

Toma sighed, "Very well then, how about our other representatives?"

"All accounted for and either already here, or on their way as we speak."

"Excellent! Now go make sure the preparations at the arena are complete." He ordered as the matchups were made.

"Of course!" The knight rushed off.

The event was in a few days. This could be the thing that fully reignites positive relationships with Fiore's neighbors and spreads the good word of mages around the continent.

"And I think I know just who to start us off with." A smirk rose on the kings face as he jotted down the first fight of what will be a very long day.

* * *

"Crocus... it's been a while." Matt gazed around in the city he hadn't been to in over three years now. He began to make his way to the arena, the hotel already taken care of by the Council.

The structure he approached with the other residents was a massive stone Coliseum on the mountains by the city. A bridge allowed everyone to climb up to it from the street.

'Wonder how the Royal Family is holding up?' He hadn't seen them since that party. The invitation he got was from the King as apparently the Council with personal picks and recommendations from every country decided on the combatants. Once they found someone they all agreed upon, an invitation was sent. 'Probably explains why Laxus didn't get one. Council wouldn't want someone with his attitude around during an event meant to showcase the purely good side of Magic.'

The teen had finally reached the structure and couldn't help but momentarily awe at it. It reminded him of the same kind of structure back home. Where gladiators fought to the death against each other and lions.

'Well, at least there'll be significantly less hyper violence with this.' Matt inwardly chucked awkwardly.

"Ah, Mr. Atlas, I see you were also invited." Matt turned to see the familiar Jura approach him.

"Hey Jura! Good to see you too." They shook hands in greeting.

"Quite the gathering this event has caused eh?" The older man gestured around.

The place was filled with all kinds of people from Fiore and out of the country. Everyone that had an interest came, seeing as the event itself was free to attend. Apparently the Council offered to handle the prizes if the Kingdom handled the cost of admission, seeing as this was also meant to advertise Magic to everyone.

"Yeah, I heard the place doesn't have a single empty seat, at least for today." He looked at the massive diversity of the crowd with genuine interest.

"It seems so." Jura smiled. "By the way, do you know of any of the other Mages invited? I couldn't seem to find out anything myself."

"I doubt the kid knows anything. The roster was apparently kept top-secret. Only the Council, King and any other major organizers know who's involved." A new voice approached the duo.

"Oh? Well if it isn't Date." Matt looked at the approaching reporter.

"Hey kid, how ya doing?" He smiled at the teen.

"Alright." He shrugged before looking to the 20 year-old beside him. "By the way Jura, this is Date. He's a reporter for Sorcerer Magazine. Normally he has his protege Jason with him, but that guy seems absent." Matt was kinda thankful for that.

Jura and Date exchanged greetings before the latter addressed the end of Matt's sentence.

"Yeah, Jason unfortunately caught the flu. So he's gonna be out the entire Tournament."

"I see." That was a shame, the recent flu had been a nasty one apparently. Magnolia kept a good grasp of those kinds of things to prevent them seeing as it was a merchant town.

"Ah, are you two perhaps Matthew Atlas and Jura Neekis?" An unfamiliar voice came from a frog person draped in Council robes that approached the trio. At the nods of the two mages he sighed in relief. "I am with the council and am to direct you two to where the other combatants are. Please follow me." He gestured for the duo to follow.

"Break a leg out there tonight kid!" Date smiled at Matt who gave a two finger wave while walking away.

The room Jura and Matt were led to was a rather large and well furnished one. When the duo entered the tension was immediately thick. Thirty other mages stared at them like eyeing potential prey.

'Christ, talk about paranoid.' Matt inwardly thought as he also looked around. Some of the characters assembled were certainly unique. From the guy in full white armor, a black-haired teen with a glare that could scratch a chalkboard, the psycho with a wicked smile and to the man with... was that a spotlight above him? The teen shook his head and decided to ignore that for now.

He and Jura headed off to a small uninhabited corner of the room to claim as their own spot. They may be rivals in the tournament, but there was no need to be hostile. Matt sat in a chair while Jura stood against the wall.

Ten, long, silent minutes passed before another frog entered the room.

"All of you please follow me." He walked out as everyone trailed after him one-by-one.

They eventually walked out on to the floor of the arena, where all their battles would be. The audience roared at the arrival of the mages.

"Welcome one and all to the Grand Wizard Tournament!" The king said, projected onto a large screen. "I am King Fiore and I humbly thank you all for attending today!" The crowd cheered in response. "This tournament marks an important day in history as we witness the best of the up-and-coming mages of Ishgar!" As Matt looked around, he could see people of every country in the audience. "And to those of you watching in other captial cities around the continent thanks to these special transmission Lacrima, I thank each and every one of you!"

After the crowd silenced, the king continued.

"Now then, allow me to introduce our combatants for the next five days!" A large screen appeared next to the king. "Starting off with our Mages from Bellum: We have Issac Newday and Ozma Kabal!" Two men dressed in garb akin to suits raised their hands and cheered. Matt was somewhat thankful his definition of "normal people" had some representatives besides Jura and himself.

"Next up, from Iceberg: we have Pokle Okasa, Katarina Meso and Sokken Meso!" The trio of people dressed in heavy winter clothing waved to the crowd. Sokken trying to hype up the crowd by waving his boomerang around. Matt questioned why in gods name anyone used a_ boomerang _as a weapon.

"Up next are our friends from Seven: Julius Peridot, Yama Hakurei, Astral Hugo and Yugo Russo!" A quartet of young men confidently smirked.

'Ah, so there's our first bishi lineup.' Matt plugged his ears from the screaming fangirls.

"Following them are the representatives of Caelum: Nocto Lucio, Arden Kazuma and Ignia Lambda!" Three well-dressed young men stood indifferently to the praise. Matt recognized Nocto as the one with a glare that cut about as hard as the level of edge he gave off.

"From Stella we have Claude Stirf and Zacharias Hart!" Two young men in combat uniforms waved excitedly to the crowd. Their cheers being from noticeably more women than men.

"From Desierto: Raul Rush, Altair Ahmed, Ezekiel Elliott and Gorden Geoffrey" The group of four in an odd desert-wear and armor blend remaind eerily stoic. Matt seemed surprised they could wear that inside the desert, all the leather and would be hell... unless they had heat regulation or internal AC enchanted on.

"Next on our list are the Mages of Minstrel: Roy Elwood, Martin Lacrosse and Iko Hendrix!" The three young prettyboy mages in armor smiled.

'Why the fuck are there so many sword users here? Get more original people!' Thought the teen who could literally create a million tiny blades at will.

"From Midi: it's Karen Copper!" The first solo girl in a fancy dress did a bow.

'Y'know when a country only sends out one girl and she's not a loli, tropes tell me she's either 5,000 years old and super important, or a background character most people forget exists outside of porn.' Matt observed the girl he felt some pity for.

"From the east in Sin: Squall Superbio and Xanxo Demia!" The duo of men in fancy leather outfits gave opposing reactions: the former gifting, you guessed it, a hard glare! Meanwhile his buddy gave an unnerving smile as he eyed the other competitors like prey.

"Here from Joya: it's Alister Smithe!" A young man in a hospital gown smiled. Matt questioned how such a frail... man? Woman?

'Huh. Never thought I'd live to see a real life why boner.' Matt raised a brow at the man, but shrugged it off.

"Representing Enca: Toyo Hakumen and Agni Fierce!" The man in full armor and a young girl in ceremonial dress remained stoic. Granted, you couldn't even see the guy's eyes. For all Matt knew he could be trying very hard to hold in a pee...

'How the fuck does he even use the bathroom in that?' Matt pondered longer than he should have.

"After them, from Bosco: Vergio Pendo and Near Pendo!" Two overdressed swordsmen one again gave polar opposite reactions. A glare from one and a cocky smile from the other. Matt wondered if there was some kind of special clause in the planning that made it so they had to have a even ratio of Edge, Cockiness and Casualness amongst the combatants.

"From Pergrande Kingdom: Go-!" The King was cut off from the lights somehow dimming everywhere except for a sole spotlight above the man in question.

"This God appreciates the kind gesture King Fiore, but he shall introduce himself." He struck an odd pose as Matt half expected a Stand to appear behind the man.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! You all have the wonderful pleasure of bearing witness to the greatest Mage on the continent fight for the next few days!" A new pose. "Who might this spectacular and unbelievable walking phenom be you ask?!" A new pose with an eye-grating smirk. "Why it is I! God Serena!"

Confetti spontaneously exploded from around the arena as everyone remained silent at the expose. He pointed a finger at the King.

"This God Serena gives you permission to continue."

Fiore blinked a couple times before nodding.

"L-Lastly, from our own soil of Fiore: Jura Neekis and Matthew Atlas!" Jura smiled and waved while Matt remained neutral and two-finger waved.

"These will be the representatives of the continent and of Magic for these coming five days!" While the crowd cheered, the tension amongst the mages was fierce. "Now then, let's show our bracket!" The king's face was replaced by the bracket listing the order of the fights.

"The 32 combatants shall be split in two. 16 per block which are A Block and B Block. We shall run through A Block first, take a short intermission and then run through B Block!" The King explained the whole process rather quickly.

"Talk about unlucky." Matt groaned. Not only was Jura in the opposite side, but…

"Up first tonight will be our own Matthew Atlas against Bosco's Vergio Pendo!"

The two locked eyes as the remaining Mages were directed to an area just above the immediate wall of the ground. Each country had it's own little section it seemed.

"The rules are as such: there will be a 10 minute time limit for the first round of Matches. The match will end when someone yields or is unable to continue. Killing is naturally banned and will result in immediate disqualification. Other than that, do as you will!"

Another set of cheers for the man's proclamation.

"So, Bosco huh? What's the place like?" Matt tried to break the ice.

"…" A glare was all he got.

"Right. Real loudmouth aintcha'?" The teen sighed as the youth across from his took a stance with his katana. "Already itching for a fight eh? Geez are all of you staring at us like Hawks?" He addressed the other Mages gazing at the two intently. 'Good lord it's just a tournament people. I get patriotism but this is a bit ridiculous.' Sweatdrops formed on his head.

"Are our fighters ready?!" The King yelled over the speakers.

"…" The Bosco native didn't even move a muscle.

"Well if chatterbox over there is itching, then I guess I'm good too." Matt sighed as he remained in a neutral stance.

"Then, on my mark." The King spoke in a manner to draw attention.

Silence enveloped the arena as it seemed Matt was the only person thinking this was all a _bit_ much.

"Begin!"

**And that's it for now! Sorry to cut it off before the fight, but next chapter will have _plenty _of action to make up for the lack of it these past two chapters.**

**So let's run down a few things.**

**First, I forgot to mention Date last AN. Whoops. Anyways, he'll serve a few roles for this fic. Primarily as a confidant to Matt for some purposes down the line. He'll also be a perspective Matt couldn't have when the story calls for it. So he's got a purpose much like the long-standing OC's I bring in do.**

**So we've essentially completed the main cast with Natsu joining the guild. We still have some missing faces, but it's basically done. Naturally character dynamics between him and Matt aren't gonna be explored until after this arc, but it will be there.**

**Now then, the tournament. Before any of you say it, yes, I already shot myself in the foot. Thirty-Two fighters is _A LOT_ of people to go through. This unfortunately means we are not gonna see all the fights. I will try to include ones I can have some fun with before day 3 when things are far more manageable, but I make no promises.** **As for why I had 32? Can you just sit there and tell me that an entire continent only has 16 or 8 talented young mages? I sure as hell couldn't convince myself otherwise.**

**Also, yes, some of those characters are very blatantly ripped from other series. No this is not the sign of a massive crossover... I already have enough of a headache balancing a kind of crossover fic I'm working on as is. It's hard to explain without giving it away. I'm thinking of going down the beta route for it since I'd like to bounce ideas off of someone, but I also don't wanna bother someone to read my bad writing on a consistent basis. Eye bleach is expensive y'know?**

**ANYWAYS, essentially I'm just bringing in some characters with fun abilities I can make some interesting fights with. Naturally not all of them will be copy and pastes with regards to personality.**

**Next chapter is gonna cover the first two days of the tournament and maybe, just _maybe_, you'll see some hints to an arc I'm very excited to write down the line.** **It'll be a long chapter so buckle in!**

**With that done, I'm**** not gonna be putting an omake at the end of this chapter. I know that's a first for an even-numbered chapter, but honestly I prefer to use them for fun buffers when big arc's aren't going on. So they shall return! Just not for a bit.** **Besides, I think the pure sass and sarcasm Matt gave off this chapter definitely filled the "Attempts at Humor" quota.**

**Regardless, I bid you all adieu.**


	11. Test Your Might

**Hello there! It's once again time for me to write our responses to questions so the people that actually do comment feel gratification for even bothering to comment**

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**Cut me some slack, I'm literally writing this while sick.**

**Raidentensho: **Second Origin will actually appear in the prequel arcs, it's just not canonically named yet, so I'll have to be a bit descriptive when it's triggered. Gae Buidhe is an enormously powerful weapon, so it will appear, just not for a bit for reasons explained down the line. Also thank you for reminding me Six Samurai existed, I legitimately forgot they were a thing since the original monster list for Matt was penned like... 4 months ago. Also yes, do except everyone's favorite Magician Girl to have some shenanigans when our female cast gets to the age where she can have some fun with teasing.

**PixelatedWriter342: **Oh yeah, 32 is nothing compared to the 60 in GMG, it's just a hell of a hurdle for me to tackle with my current writing abilities. Hence why I wanted to stretch my legs a bit and try my hand at it now for later experience.

**With that done, please enjoy the chapter while I go and try to make it possible to breathe through my nose again. God being sick sucks.** **Shoutout to Hiroyuki Sawano for his music pulling my ass through writing this chapter.**

"Begin!"

Without wasting a second, the swordsman charged right for Matt. A large cloud of dust was kicked up from his dash forward.

'Fast!' Matt barely bent back to dodge a slash aimed right at his head. The teen continued to step back and dodge the unending barrage of slashes, looking for any pattern or opening to exploit.

"Oh! Vergio is already putting the pressure on Matthew!" A voice yelled from somewhere to the audience's confusion. "Ah yes, due to all the excitement we didn't get to introduce ourselves. I am Chapati Lola, one of your commentators for this Tournament. Joining me for the Tournament is Councilman Yajima."

"Wonderful to be here." The old man smiled.

"Our guest Announcer for the day is a member of the Wizard Saints: Draculos Hyperbion!" He gestured to the man on the far end of the table.

"A pleasure." The man roughly Gildarts' age spoke.

"Now back to the action!" Chapati excitedly yelled.

'I see, he uses a quick draw style. That means there's a fundamental weakness.' A counterattack rooted itself in his mind. As Vergio continuedmmove his blade at blinding speeds.

"Oh my, he's quite the fast drawer." Agni praised the white-haired man's abilities before smirking, "Of course he's still only second to you Toyo." She spoke to the armored man beside her.

"..." He remained ever the stoic as he watched on.

'Where is it…?' Matt continued to dodge the attacks until his moment came. 'There!' When Vergio sheathed the sword for a large swing and unleashed it, Matt caught the blade between his knee and elbow.

"!" The young man was stunned by the sight, in his distraction Matt went to break the sword with his free hand. Vergio barely yanked the sword free in time, unfortunately this was what Matt planned as his foot planted itself in the older teen's gut, kicking him away. Vergio rolled back across the ground roughly, dirtying his white hair and clothes.

"Impressive agility and reflexes." Yajima added.

Vergio had gone back a fair distance from the Fairy Tail Mage before standing again, clutching his stomach and taking some strained breaths.

"Now then." Matt drew a card, "My turn." He threw the card out and a bright light came from it. "Come forth, Gearfried!" A warrior clad in full-body black armor came forth.

'So these are the summons he uses.' Jura looked on. He'd heard of the unique magic Matt used, but had never seen it in person.

"Ho? Summons that aren't Celestial Spirits?" God Serena raised a curious brow.

"Go Gearfried!" The knight charged the Swordsman. The warriors clashed with steel on steel, each one trying to gain the edge over the other. Vergio has a lot of talent, but Gearfried had the far superior experience. This gave him the constant upper hand in their clash.

'So he refuses to show his magic.' Matt scowled as he observed the moves of Vergio. The white haired adolescent being pushed back by Matt's summon. 'Did he not expect to be pushed like this in the opening match? No. He knew the level of opponents he'd be facing, so that's not it.'

Suddenly Matt observed an odd, translucent shape around Gearfried. Barely visible thanks to the dirt and dust the duo were kicking up.

"Gearfried get back!" Matt shouted, as the second his Monster left the area, the space was warped and slashed apart.

'Shit.' Matt clicked his tongue. 'He uses spatial magic. And the kind that's hard to see as well. That's probably why I didn't notice it, he was setting it up.' Matt scowled at the Swordsman who was in a defensive stance. 'However, powerful magic like that at his level will require set-up time. And I can work with that.' He looked at his summon. 'In fact... maybe I can even use it to my advantage.' The teen allowed an incredibly vague smirk to rise on his face.

"Gearfried keep up the offensive but make sure you stay observant of your surroundings." Matt calmly, but firmly gave the Monster its orders. After a nod, they went back to fighting.

"...I see." Draculos closely observed Matt.

"What is it Mr. Hyperbion?" Chapati asked the vampire lookalike.

"When he doesn't directly fight, the young man is akin to the general of an army. Observing the enemy for any weaknesses that he can exploit with assistance from his Spirits." The man noted in a cool tone. "He must share a strong bond of trust with his Spirts for this kind of teamwork."

Vergio, even while being talented, was plainly outclassed by Gearfried's raw skill and experience. He knew he had to end it with everything he had in one blow. If that failed, this would be the end. However in order to do so, he needed to remove the Master of the Warrior. His blight however, was that said Master was no slouch in a fight himself. Fortunately an idea came to his mind for a way to dispose of this armored foe without Matt being able to give warning.

The Swordsman jumped back and sheathed his sword before unleashing a powerful swing that kicked up a large smokescreen of dirt and dust.

'Crap!' Matt cursed as Gearfried and Vergio were completely invisible in the dust cloud.

"You're mine." A cold, unfamiliar voice rang out around the area as the cloud dispersed to see Vergio sheathing his blade. Once it fully was, Gearfried was barraged by an incredibly fast series of attacks. His armor had been cut through based on the chunks of black metal flying off of the warrior's body.

The icy gaze of the Swordsman fell onto Matt whose eyes were covered in shadows. He smirked seeing as he'd likely beaten his best strategy.

"Oh! Is this the end for young Matt?!" Chapati yelled out in distress.

"…" Draculos remained silent as he observed the young man. His sneaking suspicion confirmed by Matt's face panning up into one of utter confidence.

"Heh." Matt smirked. "Gotta say you're better than I expected." He have a single golf clap before pocketing his hands, "However, unfortunately for you that action sealed your fate."

Vergios raised an eyebrow before a series of cracking noises came from Gearfried. A pale light began to seep through the fractures and cracks of his armor.

"Let me spin you a tale of a warrior so powerful that no one could best him. A young boy no different from any of us had a dream: to be the absolute strongest fighter. So every day he'd train from sunrise to sunset for years and years. When the time came for him to fight, he found that he defeated all his opponents in mere seconds. In utter distress of all of his hard work robbing him of his greatest joy in life. He donned a set of armor to seal his power so he could once again seek the thrill of battle. This warriors name, was Gearfried." The Swordsman immediately understood the meaning of those words and prepared to fight, tightly gripping his blade and digging his feet into the ground. "And now that you've set him free, allow him to thank you." The teen smirked widely as Gearfried's armor shattered, revealing his true form.

The Swordsman breathed deeply, his perfect physique and steel-hard muscles stretched as his lungs filled with air. His gaze suddenly opened after exhaling, Vergio's body twitched in a whirlwind of emotions from excitement to genuine terror of the kind of opponent he was about to face.

Gearried extended his arm to the side and summoned a sword before taking his stance with a grin. Then entire crowd was silent as the second a drop of sweat left Vergio's head, they each gave their strongest attack to the other. With them now on opposite sides, time stood still... until.

"And that settles it!" Chapati cheered as Vergios fell to the ground, utterly and completely defeated. "The winner of the opening match: Fiore's own Matthew Atlas!" The crowd roared with cheers as Gearfried was de-summoned and Matt sighed in relief.

He approached the form of Vergio and offered him a hand silently. The young man looked at it momentarily before smirking and taking it. He helped the Swordsman to his feet.

"Good job out there, I wouldn't be opposed to a rematch one day." Matt grinned.

"Hmph." Vergios walked off. "Perhaps another day." His deep voice addressed Matt before he disappeared inside the building.

With a smile, Matt made his way over to where Jura was by jumping from the ground to him. He almost pulled a Makarov and fell to the ground, flailing his arms around for balance before finding it and stabilizing.

"Excellent work out there." The bald man smiled at the teen who jumped to the floor.

"Thanks, now you gotta make sure you win too." Matt smiled at him.

"Indeed. I do hope to face you in the Finals." Jura resolutely nodded.

"So, what do you you two make of that match?" Chapati addressed his fellow announcers.

"Well there were excellent strategies on both ends, however I have a strong feeling young Matt hasn't even come close to showing off all he can do." Yajima nodded as he looked at where the young man was speaking with Jura.

"Indeed. Both Mage's certainly tried hard, however Vergio simply couldn't keep up with the strategy of Matthew. I'm very interested to see where both their futures lie." Draculos stroked the facial hair on his chin in thought.

Once the crowd settled, the King once again appeared on the large screen.

"Now then, let's move on to the second match of the day!"

* * *

"For our third match of A Block!" Fiore pointed to his left. "Our first combatant! From Caelum: Nocto Lucio!"

The indifferent teen walked out, not even caring for the cheers he received."

"His opponent! From Desrtio: Raul Rush!"

A man garbed in white robes with pieces of leather-like armor stepped out, his hood still obscuring his face.

Neither man even uttered a word as the King asked if they were ready.

"Begin!"

Immediately, Raul threw out around a dozen throwing knives at impressive speed at Nocto.

The teen summoned a blade and deflected them with minimal effort. Raul then ran around the arena, still keeping pressure on by chucking knives every so often.

Nocto stood and moved with the least amount of neccessary energy waste.

"Well he's certainly giving it his all." Matt sarcastically praised the mute.

"While that may be, he could also be trying to keep his hand a secret for as long as possible." Jura theorized as he kept a close eye on the battle.

"You dare insult me with such indifference!" Raul yelled as he stood across from Nocto.

"..."

"Tch. Fine then, I'll show you something truly terrifying." The man placed a hand down on the ground and the winds themselves began to gather around him. What were once pure, undisturbed streams of winds became brown and turned into contained storms of sand and dirt.

"What an annoying magic." God Serena frowned as he dusted himself off.

"Take this! Divine Sandstorm!"

The torrents of mamagitore apart the ground as they went straight for Nocto.

For once, the teen assumed a new stance as he readied his blade. As the pair of sandstorms charged at him, he saw the perfect opening and within mere seconds.

"Wh-wha...?" Raul weakly spoke as he slowly turned his head to see Nocto right behind him.

"That's some immense speed!" Chapati exclaimed as he tried to register what just happened.

"A magnificent display of observation." Draculos nodded as Raul fell over, unconscious.

"The winner! Nocto Lucio!" As the King spoke, Nocto was already walking away.

"That was certainly something." Matt rubbed his irritated eyes.

"Mr. Lucio has quite the impressive speed, best make sure you keep an eye on him if you two fight."

"Yeah, no kiddin'" Matt nodded as the Tournament continued.

* * *

"Coming up next! Our fifth match for A Block!" The King gestured to one side. "Introducing first! From Sin: Xanxo Demia!"

The man walked out with his trademark slasher smile adorned to his face.

"And his opponent! From Arden Kazuma!"

The young man dressed in suave clothing strutted his way into the arena. Soaking in the cheers of his countrymen.

After this was done, the duo stared each other down. Granted, one giving off a killer's aura and the other not even giving a damn may not neccesarily count.

"My my, are you here to kill me or do you want my number? I'm sorry to disappoint you but I don't swing that way." The Caelumian taunted the man.

"Oh I have no interest in you, unless seeing you on the ground and begging for mercy counts." His smile widened.

"Goodness, quite the character." Arden shook his head.

"Are the fighters ready?" The King sought their consent which he received after a set of nods. "Begin!"

Xanxo immediately charged for the man who simply stood there unmoving. The Sin resident was surprised when the man suddenly disappeared from sight.

"Over here." Xanxo barely had time to minimize the damage the sword slash from the man that was suddenly behind him.

The psycho rolled away and wiped his mouth.

"I see, that's a dirty trick."

Arden shrugged, "No such thing as dirty tricks in fights my friend."

Xanxo smiled, "For once, we agree!"

The man charged right back in. Arden continuted the game of Cat and Mouse for a while. Xanxo's body was littered with cuts and flesh wounds as he breathed heavily. His white shirt was dyed crimson in many areas and blood dripped down his fingers to the ground.

"Pl-please make sure no children are watching right now parents!" Chapati tried to warn the viewers.

"Well, it looks like this is the end." Arden shook his head with a cocky grin. "Such a shame too, you proved to be quite entertaining for an idiot."

His opponent merely licked his lips and stood still. Arden raised a brow at the odd action.

"Well, looks like that's that." Squall closed his eyes. "It looks like Xanxo..."

Arden teleported behind Xanxo and went to swing his blade, only for it to be caught in the man's hand.

"Has learned how his prey hunts."

"Wha!" Arden was genuinely shocked by the sudden speed of the man.

"Too slow." Xanxo widely smiled as Arden's blade began to glow a bright orange and melt away in Xanxo's hand.

"He's melting the sword?!" Near exclaimed as the molten metal fell on the dirt ground.

"Sh-shit!" Arden quickly let go of the sword only for Xanxo's free hand to be right in front of his face.

"Now burn!" A ridiculously hit beam of fire came out of the hand.

Everyone guarded their eyes from the blinding light. When it had settled down, Arden was on the ground and medium rare.

"The-the winner is Xanxo Demia!" The King spoke while hiding behind his chair.

"That's some unreal heat." Matt wiped his brow which had started to sweat.

"I just hope he won't be your opponent in the third round." Jura also patted his head down with a handkerchief.

* * *

"It's been a long day, but we've arrived at our final fight of Day 1!" The King exclaimed in some relief as the sun was currently setting. "Now then our final match! Introducing first! From Enca: Agni Fierce!"

The shrine maiden walked out to thunderous applause from the mostly male audience.

"Geez! Talk about biased!" Matt yelled as he plugged his ears.

"What?!" Jura asked, not being able to hear Matt.

After a straight minute of that, the King was finally able to get a word in.

"And our last mage of the day!" As he went to speak, all the lights shut off. "Eh?" The King was as confused as everyone else.

Suddenly a lone spotlight shone down from the heavens upon a lone man.

"No offense King Fiore, but a measly King can not do the introduction of a God as well as another God!" The man struck a pose as more multi-colored spotlights danced around the arena.

"Here is where we remind our Epileptic viewers to please look away from the screen momentarily." Chapati had nervous sweat running down his face at the display.

"Who am I?" A new pose. "I am God!" Another new pose that should have broken his spine. "But not just any God!" One final grand pose. "I am." Cue the confetti and fireworks going off behind him. "God Serena!"

The audience was dead silent as the man reveled in his own display of ego.

'Freud would have a field day with this guy.' Matt's eye twitched as he watched the man.

And as if through magic, all the normal lights turned back on and the confetti disappeared.

God Serena smirked and pointed to the King, "You may have us begin now."

"R-Right... uh, B-Begin." The King weakly spoke, somewhat depressed over being so massively overshadowed.

Agni's form began to have fire dance around it as she moved some of the talismans in her hand.

"If you claim to be a god, then perhaps the divine flames of Kagutsuchi shall entertain you." She smirked as the flames soon turned into a temprst of fire.

"Ho? The genuine flames of a foreign god?" The man wickedly smirked, "Interesting!" His stance widened as he gestured for the girl to attack.

"As you wish!" The searing flames charged at Serena with no mercy.

As they were about to make contact, they were easily broken apart by Serena's own fire.

"What?!" Agni's eyes widened as the man grinned widely. She clicked her tongue and pulled out a pair talismans. "Divine Winds of Fujin and Divine Lightning of Raijin! Vanquish the foe who dare insult you!"

A tempest of wind covered in lightning cane from the pieces of paper as the attack barreled right for the false God.

"Ah, I see now." God Serena smirked. "You merely call upon the blessings of gods, not their true power."

Agni's eyes widened as he easily figured out the magic.

"Such parlor tricks..." He knocked the tempest away with a punch covered in his own Lightning. "Will never stand a chance against me."

The girl clutched another talisman in anger, "Come forth divine Storms of Susano-o! Vanquish this-"

"I grow bored of this." Serena spoke flatly, interrupting her. "I'll simply prove who the real god is in one simple attack." A wicked smile sent chills down Agni's spine.

Serena clapped his hands together and raised them up, creating a massive fireball.

"Now lay to rest your false gods!" He threw the attack at her.

"O-Oi, that's kinda overkill ain't it?" Matt's eyes widened as he felt the raw power of the attack.

"If that attack lands..." Jura scowled at the man.

"Divine Founders protect me! Kotoamatsukami!" She threw out five talismans that created a powerful barrier in front of her.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

The barrier instantly shattered upon contact.

"No way..." She looked on in utter disbelief.

As the attack was to make contact, it was cleaved in two. She looked up to see the familiar form of the Armored man.

"Toyo..."

"Hoho? Now that was impressive, this God gives you praise!" Serena began to feel his blood boil in excitement.

Toyo sheathed his blade and lifted the girl in his arms. She'd used far too much magic in that last barrier and was dangerously low.

"Hold on." God Serena raised his hand. "I'm not done with you yet."

Toyo stopped walking and turned his head.

"If you wish to fight, then we shall do it later in the Tournament." He coldly spoke to the man before continuing to walk off.

"Due to interference, the winner by default is God Serena!" The King received a mass of boos from the upset crowd.

"This God Serena..." Jura grimly looked at the man.

"..." Matt simply glared at the unhinged man.

* * *

Once all sixteen matches had been dealt with, most of the countries still had a representative. Jura had succeeded in winning his match against Sokken who utilized weapons with magnetism to attack from multiple angles. He oddly favored boomerangs though. Unfortunately for him, Jura's defenses were far too much for him to handle and he'd drained himself of magic power by the time a couple minutes had passed.

"Now then ladies everyone, here are the remaining combatants!" After the King spoke, a large screen came up.

**Bosco: Near Pendo**

**Caelum: Nocto Lucio, Ignia Lambda**

**Desertio: Altair Ahad**

**Enca: Toyo Hakumen**

**Fiore: Jura Neeks, Matthew Atlas**

**Iceberg: Katarina Meso**

**Joya: Alister Smith**

**Minstrel: Roy Elwood, Martin Lacrosse, Iko Hendrix**

**Pergrande: God Serena**

**Sin: Xanxo Demia**

**Stella: Claude Strif, Zacharias Hart**

"These are our remaining young Mages. Now then, tomorrow's first match shall be Matthew Atlas vs. Katarina Meso!" The crowd bitterly cheered one final time before everyone was dismissed.

"Man we got some oddballs in this tournament." Matt groaned as he and Jura walked to their hotel. Each country had been given a different hotel to stay in for confidentiality reasons if the teen had to guess.

"Indeed. The competition seems largely dominated by swordsmen, it's slightly disconcerting." Jura exasperated.

"You're telling me. Aren't you facing the brother of the guy I fought today?"

"Correct. His form of Holder Magic via special bracelets is certainly interesting. Though his attitude leaves much to be desired." The large man sighed.

"Ha! Yeah, him pissing off that Squall guy was pretty damn hilarious. I never knew there were so many ways one man could insult another man's genetalia size." That was certainly a move the council was regretting. The censorship must've been insane on the screens across the city.

"Of course you'd find amusement in that…" Jura sighed in disappointment.

"Ah don't be a stick in the mud. Besides we got four more days left to this."

"Indeed. I imagine with half the fights tomorrow, we'll be given more time for each fight." The bald man began to go over potential strategies with this info. Knowing at least what his opponent could roughly do tomorrow was a big plus.

"Eh. Doesn't really matter to me." The teen indifferently shrugged.

"Knowing you, you probably already have a fool-proof plan for tomorrow."

"Sorta kinda." In Mattman's Terms, this meant he had about twenty different strategies going in. "So, got anyone you think is a strong contender for winning?" The teen asked with legitimate curiosity.

"Hmmm. It's hard to say with only one day down, however I'd say those that managed to win so far without demonstrating their full potential even slightly have the best odds."

"You're talking about that God Serena guy aren't you?"

"Indeed." The man was certainly... various things. Including but not limited to: eccentric, theatric, big, painfully un-charasmatic, narcissistic, egomaniacal, potentially psychotic and Matt's favorite: spotlight summoner. He honestly had no clue how the man from the far east could just have a spotlight on him on demand.

"Well he's gotta go through you first before he gets to me." Smirking, Matt confidently felt he could make it to the Finals.

"Oh? Already planning that far ahead eh?"

"I already roughly know who'll probably win each match tomorrow." He honestly stated. It wasn't hard to figure out based on the types of magic each person used and their skill and natural abilities. For some reason Matt had a really easy time figuring those kinds of things out. He couldn't remember being this good back home, but maybe his mentality changed to match the environment he now lived in.

"I see. Well this discussion can continue later, we've arrived." The two stood in front of a simple two story building.

"Well then, I'll see you bright and early." Matt entered and then immediately went to bed.

* * *

"So Draculos, what do you think of the current crop?" King Fiore asked the Dracula lookalike. They were currently enjoying dinner with other officials of each country. While other kings and such couldn't attend, they did send princes, generals, noblemen and the like.

"They show much promise. It certainly eases my concerns about the future of Magecraft on this continent for at least a few decades." Taking a sip of wine, the vampire enjoyed his vacation across the continent.

"I'm quite curious Mr. Hyperbion, who would you like to see fight out of the current batch?" A prince from Caelum asked, earning a "hmm" from the man before he answered.

"That's quite difficult to pin down, especially since some of them haven't even shown off all that they're capable of." He contemplated with a hand on his chin. "But if I had to choose, God Serena and Matthew Atlas would make for quite an interesting match."

"Eh? But all that boring guy can do is summon." The prince tilted his head.

"Hmph. You should learn to pay closer attention boy." A general of Sin scoffed at the young Prince's ignorance.

"Indeed young man, simply fighting on-the-spot is one thing, however formulating critical strategies in the heat of battle itself is truly a commendable skill." Another general from Bellum added with a nod.

"Now now, the boy does have a point. I think a fight between Nocto and Xanxo would be quite the show myself." A noblewoman of Enca lightly dabbed her lip with a napkin.

"More like senselessly destructive with what those two can do." A prince of Minstrel scoffed.

"Yes yes, and death along with taxes are the sole things every man will experience in life." A princess of Stella rolled her eyes.

"I mean, none of you at least allowed the poor man to explain why he thinks those two are the best." A prince of Joya tried to get things back on track.

"Thank you your majesty." The older man bowed his head slightly. "Allow me to start with God Serena. Unfortunately as Pergrande didn't send someone to this Tournament, I shall have to explain why the young man will make it to the finals easily. See, God Serena is someone whose raw talent and potential far surpasses even my own latent abilities. Why, I say with full confidence he could be one of the strongest men in the world should he simply apply himself. His blight however, is the lack of worthy challenge in his eyes."

Taking a drink of wine, he continued. "That's where young Matthew Atlas comes in. I find it highly likely the young man has even shown a tenth of what he can do. He's also someone I'd classify as having an extreme amount of latent ability. Unlike God Serena however, young Matthew has clearly worked extremely hard to get where he is. Based on his physique, attitude in the middle of fighting and confidence in his own abilities, he's certainly had to face many trials personally."

"So what you're saying is opposites attract?" The Caelum Prince tried to see what Draculos was saying.

"Partly. It's moreso God Serna will see someone on his level and finally push himself into not holding back. There in turn forcing Matthew Atlas to go all out as well. That is if either make it to the finals. This is all just pure speculation if the duo are the last two standing." The vampire tried to make sure that point was clear.

"Regardless, your insight as a fellow Mage was certainly interesting to hear and appreciated so we may furthur understand the unique lifestyle Mages pursue." King Fiore smiled at the Mage. "Now then, we should probably end for the night. We have many more dinners like this to come after all!" With that, the group started to disband.

"Ah, hold on a minute!" The Caelum Prince stopped them. "Mr. Hyperbion, I actually wanted to discuss some recent rumors I've heard from the capital of Pergrande."

Draculos raised a brow, "What rumors do you exactly refer to"

"Well," The Prince crossed his hands and rested his elbows on the table. "I heard, and this is just an unfounded rumor, that recently odd things have been occurring in the capital."

"What sort of things?" King Fiore chimed in, genuinely curious now too.

"People mysteriously disappearing right from their homes. Reports of the smell of rotting corpses in the Saint Maria Cathedral. Odd alien-like figures lurking the streets at night. There have been reports of odd behavior from children and the elderly, ranging from hysteria, paranoia, violent outbursts and even a few are said to have claimed their own lives for no real reason. Supposedly they all wrote the same dying message with their own blood, "All hail the future king.""

The group listened with what was originally curiosity, but that had evolved into quite the morbid curiosity.

"But, none of them compare to a truly unnerving duo of rumors." The Prince took a breath before continuing. "First was the supposed sighting of... something."

"Something?"The Bellum general raised a brow.

"That's the only proper way to describe that... _thing._ One night, a farmer had heard odd sounds coming from where he kept his livestock. He ventured out to find the cause of the disturbance only to see that abomination. It had the body of what appeared to be a horse, but its skin was grey and coated in some kind of slime. The front legs weren't even legs, they were arms with elbows bending the wrong way and with claws instead of nails. As for the hind legs, they were reptilian but possessed the same color as exposed flesh. It's head was what made it truly disturbing though. The Head was the upper torso of a man with no arms, but growing from his chest cavity, like a tumor, was the proper head of a horse with no eyes or mouth. As for the man, it was described as crying and groaning in some sick mix of pleasure and pain. Countless arrows, swords, spears and other weapons were practically growing out of the creature's body. Where they came from is a mystery, however one could make a valid guess."

The group dryly gulped save for Draculos.

"And this other rumor?" The vampire asked.

"According to a local fisherman, one night when he was out early to hunt game, he saw a figure walking through the misty streets. This figure was a man with a gold helmet and dark robes, but the engraving on the helemt is the genuinely frightening part." The Prince looked at Draculos in the eyes. "It was that of Tartaros."

"Tartaros?!" The Stellan princess spoke, clearly frigthened.

"Yeah. No one knows who it was from that Dark Guild, but the peculiar thing, is that he was heading in the direction of the Castle."

"Are you implying King Pergeande is making dealings with them?" The General from Sin narrowed his gaze.

The Caelum Prince shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not. These are all mere rumors after all. I just wished to see if Mr. Hyperbion knew anything is all."

The vampiric man remained silent for a moment, "I can not confirm nor deny any of these rumors. What I can confirm is that King Pergeande has been acting _odd_ lately."

"How odd?"

Draculos sighed before continuing.

"Apparently he's been rather reclusive lately and hasn't left the castle in over a year. There's also the fact Prince Heimdall hasn't been sighted in roughly the same amount of time."

"Is the Prince perhaps dead?" The prince from Minstrel theorized.

"Maybe, maybe not. If so it would've been done under-the-table as all governmental transactions are available for public access after the Free Information Doctrine. However, given the nature of the King, I doubt he'd murder his own child. He knows it would solve nothing to break the unfortunate fact that every king dies shortly after their oldest son becomes of age.

"Indeed, that bloodline is supposedly cursed after all." The Joyan Prince grimly nodded.

"For now such things are not to be discussed. We are here for festivities! Not to worry about politics." King Fiore tried to divert the discussion. "Let's simply enjoy our time here!"

"Of course, I apologize if I unsettled anyone with these simple rumors. After all they did come from across the continent to me."He chuckled and scratched the back of his head, easing the tension of the room.

They had dispersed for the night shortly afterwards, however a certain mage atop the castle looked over in the direction of his homeland with a scowl.

'Mere rumors or not, the idea of such things occurring alone is enough to warrant a personal look.'

And with a flash, he was gone. The faint flapping of wings could be heard fading in the distance if one put enough effort into the act.

* * *

"Welcome back to day two of the Grand Wizard Tournament!" The King hyped up the full house in the Coliseum. "Now then let's get right to business shall we?!" The crowd roared as Matt stood by the exit to the floor.

'Man, the guy certainly knows how to work a crowd.' He smiled thinking back to his old interactions with the King.

"A welcome back from us in the Announcer Booth as well. As always I am Chapati Lola and with me is Councilman Yajima!"

"Good to be back." The old man seemed to enjoy his work away from work.

"Our guest Announcer for this day is none other than Karen Lilica! A member of Blue Pegasus and a rising star of a Model!"

"Thank you, you're far too kind." The green haired girl spoke in an attempt at genuine humbleness.

"Now then, introducing first! From Iceberg: Katarina Meso!!" A young girl with dark skin and brown hair with a blue robe like outfit walled out with a smile.

"And next, from Fiore: Matthew Atlas!!"

"Show time." Matt exhaled as he too walked out with a confident smile.

The two mages stared each other down.

"The rules are the same as yesterday, just with an added five minutes to the overall timer!"

'Seems like Jura was right.' Matt was glad he didn't make a bet with him on that.

"One more thing! Today we'll be swapping up the match order. So after this match, we'll be randomly going through the matches!"

'Huh, that's different I guess.' Matt shrugged as he put his focus back on the opponent in front of him.

"Sorry about how my friend handled the match your brother had with him." Matt awkwardly smiled at the girl.

"Eh, he knew what he was getting into. Just means he'll have to work harder." She shrugged at the thought.

'That's a little cold.' Matt awkwardly chuckled at the harshness of the older sibling.

"Are the combatants ready?" The two took stances.

"Begin!"

Katarina immediately called upon a string stream of water from her hand. Matt rolled out of the way and ran as she kept blasting in his general direction.

"And Katarina begins the fight with a brutal offensive!" Chapati yelled as Matt continued to dodge high-pressure water blasts.

"She's blatantly trying to prevent him from summoning." Yajima added with a nod.

'Damn she attacks fast!' Matt back flipped to dodge another blast. 'Gotta find an opening, but where?' He scowled as the fight continued. Observing her every move closely. 'If she's freely using this spell without concern for her Magic Power than she's either using the water in the air for fuel, or she has a plan that lets her go wild without concern for Magic Power levels.'

The girl smirked, confirming Matt's theory of her having a plan. Suddenly Matt found it harder and harder to move as he dodged.

'The hell?!' He looked down to see his feet and body partially frozen. 'Shit! She knows Ice Magic too?!' Matt inwardly swore.

"Bet you didn't plan for that did you?" She grinned as she began to charge up a powerful spell.

'Shit! Just. Gotta. Reach for it!' He desperately tried to move his hand to his deck.

"Sorry, but this is the end!" She unleashed a massive water attack that soaked the area.

"Was Matt done in by that?!" Chapati looked on in awe over the ease of which he was defeated.

A cloud of steam took the place of where Matt was.

"Doesn't look like it." Karen added, trying to sound interested.

"Geez. To think you'd have a trick like that up your sleeve." Matt chided the girl as he wiped his mouth.

Flame Swordsman stood in front of him with his blade alight with flame. Steam all around the duo as the ice on Matt melted.

The girl clicked her tongue realizing her plan failed.

"Now then." Matt popped his neck. "My turn." He widely grinned.

"I won't let you!" Katarina threw out a torrent of water.

"Unfortunately for you I already know how I'm going to beat you!" His grin grew at Flame Swordsman evaporated her attacks. "Do it now Grand Mole!" At his shout the ground around Katarina shifted, making her loose balance.

'When did he?!' She realized he summoned the mole from his initial roll. Her thought was broken as Matt continued his counterattack.

"Now Flame Swordsman!" The warrior stabbed his sword into the ground.

However when nothing immediately happened, the girl smirked.

"What's the matter? Was your master plan just to get me to loose my balance for a bit?" She feigned confidence.

"Nope." He replied popping the p. "Tell me something." His grin widened to an uncomfortable degree. "Have you ever heard of a vapor explosion?"

Jura immediately pieced together his plan. "Don't tell me that's what he was stalling for?!" He yelled as a sudden rumbling befell the arena.

"What's happening?! The entire arena is suddenly shaking!" Chapati panicked as the ground beneath Katarina violently cracked. However by the time she noticed, it was too late.

A massive explosion of steam engulfed the area around her and caused a shockwave of violent wind to hit the arena. Flame Swordsman guarded Matt from the power of it as Katarina fell onto softened earth, courtesy of a good mole. He approached her barely conscious form.

"You... had me planned out from the start."

"Bingo." Grand Mole popped put next to Matt. "I summoned my mole to create small paths for your water to flow into a large chamber. All that I had to do was stall and get a lot of water in there. Then when Grand Mole shifted the ground to seal all but one way into the water chamber, Flame Swordsman just evaporated the water. So when the pressure couldn't take it anymore." Matt spread his arms out and made a "Ptchoo" sound.

"So he can summon two Spirits!" Chapati shouted as he understood Matt's plan.

"Of course he can. Any Summon Mage worth their salt can do that." Karen scoffed, but quickly put her nice-girl act back on.

"Regardless, the winner of the match is Matthew Atlas!" The King proudly yelled causing cheers to creep up.

Katarina was put on a stretcher and sent to the infirmary as Matt made his way to Jura.

"Ho. Quite the interesting style he has." God Serena smirked as he gazed at Matt.

"That was certainly a risky strategy, but it paid off it seems." Jura smirked at Matt who say down with a sigh.

"Yeah, just sucks people know I can throw out two of em at once now. Can't afford to show all my tricks before the Finals." Matt sighed as he relaxed on the bench.

"Now then, let's continue… after a moment is taken to repair damages." The King apologized.

* * *

"D-damn monster." Roy Elwood groaned out before falling unconscious as God Serena smirked confidently.

"A simple knight could not hope to stand before." A spotlight shone on him as he posed. "A god." He confidently smirked to no one. By now everyone had gotten used to the Spotlight Inquisition.

'He still only uses basic Fire and Lightning magic. Yet something feels off.' Matt scowled as he continued to look at Serena with discerning eyes.

"Now it's time for Jura Neekis vs Near Pendo!"

Jura stepped into the arena silently as Near stood across from him.

"Well old man, you might wanna back down now. Don't want you throwing out your back or anything." The teen smirked at Jura who simply remained silent. "Not one for talking with words eh? Alright then." He grabbed his large sword behind his back. "More my style anyways."

'''No it's not.''' Was the unanimous thought of everyone else watching.

"Begin!"

Near charged Jura, dragging his sword on the ground for some reason. Jura raised his hand as pillars of harsh stone shot out to attack the teen. He parried the rocks and continued his charge.

The ground beneath Near shot up suddenly, catching him off-guard. Trying to adjust himself mid-air, the white haired teen used one of his bracelets to extend his hand to reach one of the statues. As he stood on the arms of it, the body of the statue violently shot out at him knocking him silly.

"You're mine!" Jura raised his hand with his fingers oriented oddly. "Rock Slide!" The ground beneath Near violently shot up and collided with him. However the teen used one of his bracelets to grab a rock and throw it back.

"Slam dunk!" Near shouted as a stone wall guarded the attck.

Jura once more caused the ground to shoot up in tablets as Near dodged them with ease.

"What's the matter old man?! Don't got many tricks I see!"

Jura smirked as Near landed right where he wanted him.

"My turn!" Near went to attack, but found himself unable to move. "What the?!" He looked down to find his feet stuck in the soft ground.

'That spot…' Matt realized was Jura's plan was and smirked.

"This is the end! Shattering Krakatoa!" The ground beneath Near exploded outwards like a maelstrom.

Near screamed in pain before he landed on the ground, unconscious.

"The winner: Jura Neeks!"

"Well this turnout wasn't a shock. Jura's defensive style was too harsh of a counter for Near's unyielding offensive style." Yajima assessed the match.

"You used the softer dirt they put in to fill the hole I made to ensnare that brat, didn't you?" Matt asked with a raised brow and smirk as the older man joined him at their waiting area.

"Why Matt, I have no clue what you could possibly mean." Jura feigned ignorance with a grin.

"Heh, cheeky bastard." He grinned.

* * *

"Next up, Nocto Lucio vs. Martin Lacrosse!"

"The winner of this will be will be your next opponent." Jura looked at the two warriors.

"Yeah." Matt observed closely.

"So Karen, who's your pick to win this bout?" Chapati sparked conversation.

"Oh easily Nocto, cold, silent and dreamy is my type!" She swooned to receive awkward silence from the other announcers in response.

"Begin!"

As soon as the single word was spoken, a blue flash occured, blinding everyone. But then suddenly, the next thing anyone knew, Martin was on the ground unconscious to the shock of the entire arena.

"Wh-what just happened?!" Jura yelled in shock.

"EH?!" Chapati was speechless as the fight ended as soon as it began.

King Fiore rubbed his eyes before realizing he'd yet said who the winner was.

"The winner is Nocto Lucio!" No one cheered as they were all still stunned silent.

"He sure as hell didn't pull that yesterday." Matt added as he noticed Nocto gazing right at him. 'Oh I see now. It's a message eh?' Matt smirked at the open challenge by simply waving his fingers towards himself at Nocto.

"Well uh... with that we bring the second day to a close with our final eight." King Fiore gestured towards a large screen, the wind knocked from his sails. "From A block: Matthew Atlas, Nocto Lucio, Xanxo Demia and Altair Ahad!" The four mages appeared on the screen to cheers. "Next, we have B Block's: God Serena, Alister Smithe, Jura Neeks and Toyo Hakumen!" The other four were displayed.

"Well then, until tomorrow!" The King spoke his farewells as everyone left the Coliseum.

* * *

"So Fiore is the only country left with two representatives eh?" Date smirked as he looked at the results from today. "King is probably over the moon in private about it." He placed a glass of alcohol down. "But it's the best of the crop now, so you two best keep an eye out if you wanna make it all the way."

"Still being the loner eh?" A voice spoke from behind Date.

"Heh, not like you're much better Sarutobi." He smirked as the Captain sat beside him and ordered a heavy drink. "So, how goes being Head of Security for this ridiculous event."

The Rune Knight sighed as he took a glug of his drink. "Well about as well as you'd think. Surprisingly the Mage's aren't the problem, it's all the foreign people with different social standards than ours. We had to kick out a trio that wore tight, spandex suits that made their asses gigantic for sexual harassment."

Date almost choked on his drink when he heard that.

"Then you got the typical cases of screwed up bathroom, crying babies, same old same old."

The former Rune Knight chuckled at his old partner's blight.

"So," the Captain started. "How's the hand holding up?" He eyed Date's left hand which had odd scars around it.

The Journalist lifted the appendage and stretched his fingers. "Meh, I still have issues making a closed fist, but that's a small price to pay for being alive."

"Indeed." Sarutobi nodded as he stared as the trails of water coating the outside of his glass.

"So I gotta ask, who do you think is gonna take it?" The man questioned the Captain.

"Hmmm. It's hard to say. Personally I'd like one of our guys to win, but some of those other contenders are just nasty. Especially those like God Serena or Toyo." The man took another swig of his drink.

"True, but our boys aren't slacking either. Two pretty dominant wins in a row is a good start." Date pointed out while waving the bartender for a refill.

"It's good to see that kid made it out alright." Sarutobi vaguely smiled.

"You know the Kid?" An eyebrow rose on Date's head.

"Last time I saw him he was in the worst shape I'd ever seen a still-breathing individual ever." That spoke volumes considering what his job entailed. "Still, I am a little worried he's pushing himself too hard. Those eye bags are something else." Sarutobi spoke in evident concern, but raised a brow at the snickering of Date.

"You're one to talk! I remember that time we were having a party for the class ahead of us graduating and you turned both that _and_ free sex down." Date barely stopped himself from cackling before continuing. "We all used to call you Saru the Maiden for how many offers you turned down." The man pounded on the counter as he laughed.

"Yes yes, and look at where we are now. I'm the highest ranked captain in the Rune Knights and you're having to write about how Seven tried to breed unicorns via attaching fake animal horns to their head." He smugly spoke as Date went pale at remembering that story.

"Please don't talk about that travesty..." He slumped into the chair, all morale drained instantly.

Sarutobi began chuckling at his friends plight as Date got angrier and angrier.

"That's it!" He slammed his hand down. "You. Me. Shot contest. Now!"

"Ho~?" The man mockingly cooed, "Sure, I might as well best you at yet another thing." A cocky smirked lined his face.

""Bartender!!""

**A****nd that****'s a wrap on another chapter! Sorry about the delayed post, but as I said ****earlier, I'm currently sick. Thankfully, next chapter is basically 80% written even in its "skeleton phase" as I call my roughs.**

**I'm kinda iffy on this chapter. Mostly because A: The Fanfiction App is being real annoying to work with all of a sudden. So there will probably be some grammatical errors I missed this time. And B: I covering two days worth of things and ****keeping a good pace for the chapter is pretty tricky. So I hope I did an okay job at it. The remaining chapters of this arc flow much better in my opinion.**

**Anyways, w****e got a lot to cover this chapter so let's get snappy.**

**Firstly, Matt's two fights. So if you couldn't tell, Matt basically fought a significantly weaker Vergil and Katara. These first two fights were mostly to show off some combos his Monsters have and his overall abilities as an overall strategist. We'll see more of what Matt can do with his other magics in the coming fights, I just wanted to give the Duel Monsters some love. Nocti- I mean Nocto vs Matt, will be an interesting fight I'm sure some of you will be excited for.**

**Next up are the other fights. Jura's fight was fun to write since he uses Earth Magic in such a different way from how you'd normally expect. Serena obviously hasn't shown off anything close to his full capabilities. And we have a few other characters strutting their stuff. Adapting some magics into Fairy Tail parameters was pretty fun. Near's Bracelet Magic replicating the effects of Nero's Devil Bringer was a neat idea that just came to me.** **Toyo also has a pretty interesting magic we'll get to see soon along with another character who is actually a walking spoiler, but I think at this point it's fine to show off their magic.**

**We had some diverse color commentators with Draculos and Karen. I legitimately didn't really have another good place to throw her into the story, so I just opted for a cameo instead before she gets got. As for Draculos, I definitely wanna throw him in here and there since he's literally the second strongest Mage on Ishgar... with documentation. Sorry Gildarts, the Council would sooner start a war against the non-magic population than make you an official _anything._**

**Date and Sarutobi got a nice little scene together, I intend to do some pretty major things with Sarutobi down the line, so get used to him for now.** **We'll also get some developments on their longstanding relationship down the line, just not too much this arc.**

**Now, the elephant in the room... why the fuck did I not make Nocto the Prince of Caelum. Well Y'see, I wanted to- eh? You wanna know more about the grotesque monstrosities, horrible murders, bouts of Lovecraftian-tier insanity amongst the population and Tartaros being involved with a massive conspiracy in the largest Kingdom of Ishgar? Nah! You'll have to wait for that! Although cookie points to anyone that figures out the design inspirations for that abomination.** **That's gonna be a fun fight when we get to it.**

**Once again I apologize for this chapter being out much later than my usual posting hours. Hopefully I can stick to my schedule better as I get into an environment where I can write much easier again soon.**

**With that done, I've got nothing left to say and nothing left to write for this chapter. So I bid you all, Adi-CHU... being sick sucks.**


	12. A Blazing Turnabout

**Hey, you're finally here again, you were trying to find a well written story right? You walked right into that trap, same as all the others and the poor schmuck down here.**

**Raidentensho: **How in the blue hell did I miss the incredibly obvious joke. God I don't know if I should be proud of myself for not taking the bait, or pissed I didn't bring in the rare manservice to this series. Let this be a lesson kids: don't write when you're sick... unless you're a mangaka and have literally no choice in the matter...

**I don't know where we're going, but cringe and dead memes await. May the gods have mercy on us all.**

'Nocto Lucio huh…' Matt tried to discern what his opponent's abilities were like once more. He'd been dwelling on the topic all night. 'Well he used a sword on day one to pretty effective results. But yesterday wasn't a sword... at least I don't think it was. It must've been his magic, nothing else makes sense. That blue flash wasn't a weapon so it was the only option left.' He sighed and rubbed his temples. 'Question is: what kind of magic? Teleportation is likely based on Arden, but I've never seen it look like that.' Matt recalled how for a split-second Nocto did disappear with what seemed like a flick of his wrist before striking and immediately reappearing where he once was. 'I hate to admit it, but this is a fight I'm just gonna have to plan out as it happens.' Sighing, the teen made his way over to where he needed to be before the fight. Peering out, he gazed at the crowd that was filling the seats.

He noticed around the crowd how more and more Fiore natives took up seats. 'Guess whenever a country is eliminated they just pack up and go home. It is a long trip for some of them after all.' Shrugging, Matt began to stretch before the match while waiting for his signal.

"Welcome back everyone to the third day of the Grand Wizard Tournament!" King Fiore, as usual, hyped up the crowd to wake up anyone that may still be a bit sleepy this early morning.

"A humble welcome back from us in the Announcer Booth as well! As usual I am Chapati Lola and with me is Chairman Yajima."

"Hello everyone, I hope everyone is as excited for today's fights as I am." Yajima smiled.

"Our guest Announcer today is Hanzo Sarutobi! A captain of the Rune Knights." Chapati gestured to the large man at the end of the table.

"It's a pleasure to be able to witness these young, talented Mages duke it out." He spoke with a deep voice and authoritative tone.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's get to today's rules!" The king gestured upwards towards a large screen. "Today will be a bit different from the norm. Throughout the battlefield, random Lacrima will be scattered, hidden and sent out during the thirty minute time limit of the fights! These can be used however the Mage sees fit. However, they can only carry one at a time, but can discard it for any reason if they wish to. Outside of this, every other rule from the previous two days remains intact."

'I see, so they're spicing things up today huh? Wonder if the next two days are gonna be different as well.' Matt stood after his last leg stretches, prepared for the fight.

"Let's get right into the action now! Introducing first, from Caelum: Nocto Lucio!"

The young man stepped out into the crowd with a brooding atmosphere around him. His black hair and red eyes sure as hell didn't help remove that sense of edge.

"From Fiore: Matthew Atlas!"

Matt stepped out into the arena with a neutral tone all around him. Passively returning the cheers with some lazy waves and "Sup's."

"So Mr. Yajima, who's your pick for this?" Chapati looked over to his co-host.

"Hmm. In terms of favoritism I'd say Matthew Atlas, however due to knowing so little of what either can do, I realistically can't give an answer." The old man spoke.

"As for you Mr. Sarutobi?"

"I'd have to agree with Councilman Yajima on this, both men have hardly shown what they can really do. What I can say is that this is personally my most anticipated match of the evening." The middle-aged man gazed at the duo with interest.

"Are the combatants ready?" The King sought their consent.

Nocto did nothing while Matt gave a thumbs up. The King took that as the O.K. to start.

"Begin!"

Immediately Matt's gut screamed at him to dodge, so he did, narrowly avoiding an axe that smashed into the ground. Nocto appeared in front of Matt and swung his sword. Matt ducked down to avoid it and then narrowly dodge a kick from Nocto. The Fairy Tail Mage rolled away to get distance, but it seemed like Nocto could care less about that desire.

Jumping to the left, Matt dodged a spear that was now in the ground. Nocto swung on it and kicked Matt's guarding form back. Matt rolled on his shoulders and landed on his feet a few meters away.

'Yup, summoning is out of the question with this guy. Guess I'll have to break out my personal style.' Matt carefully watched Nocto as he removed the spear with a flash of blue light. 'Requip? Unique color to it, but it looks like the function is similar. Doesn't explain the teleporting though… unless he knows Flying Raijin. I'm so screwed if he does.' He inwardly twitched with fear at that thought.

Nocto threw a large shuriken at Matt who jumped over it effortlessly. However upon seeing Nocto smirk, Matt immediately ducked again to find the shuriken cut the tips of some if his hair.

'He can control them with telekinesis?!' Matt continued to dodge the flying disk of death. 'No, the feeling I get from them is actually familiar.' How could someone control weapons midair without telekinesis? 'That's the same stunt I pulled on Gildarts when…!' Finally connecting the dots, Matt dodged a final time before charging at Nocto. 'Only one way to test it. And thankfully all that running around was pretty useful.'

"Oh! Matt is going right at Nocto for the first time in the fight!" Chapati pointed out what everyone knew.

Matt slid between Nocto's legs as the teen caught the shuriken, only to find its weight slightly off. His eyes widened as a bomb Lacrima was on it. Once again he threw it before the weapon exploded.

'So that is the answer huh?' Matt observed the explosion closely to see if his guess was correct. 'So that's how his magic works.' Matt smirked and stood. 'Now it's time I show this guy what I can do.'

Nocto looked at the smirking Matt with a scowl.

"Since you've so graciously shown me your tricks, only fair I break out my own." Smiling Matt raised both of his hands out. 'What did he always say?' Trying to recall an eight-plus year-old memory was hard. 'Oh yeah.' Matt closed his eyes.

"Trace on." Purple magic power crackled like lightning as the shapes of Kanshou and Bakuya were formed and then solidified.

"Oh! It appears as though Matt has had an entirely seperate magic up his sleeve!" Chapati exclaimed with awe.

"Hoh? So he's not a one trick pony eh?" God serena grinned.

"To think he'd have another Magic at his disposal. You don't cease to amaze." Jura smiled at the teen, his desire to face him growing.

"Let's go!" Matt charged Nocto who returned the gesture, summoning two daggers.

Sparks flew as the blade met, neither Mage letting the other hold an advantage. Nocto jumped and summoned a spear, trying to impale Matt. However the Fairy Tail Mage barely dodged, allowing it to cut his flesh in order to deliver a crushing kick to the Caelum Mage's head. His skull bounced off the ground and he used the momentum to gain distance. The silent young man breathed slightly heavier as a small trail of blood streamed down his face.

Matt, not allowing his opponent rest, threw his swords at him. Quickly bringing back his daggers, Nocto deflected them. Though the brief lapse of sight from Matt costed him dearly as the 13 year-olds fist went straight into his gut. Bile flew from his mouth as Nocto rolled backwards, eventually stopping when his back hit the wall.

"And in a matter of minutes, the scales have been tipped in Matt's favor! Can Nocto recover from this?" The toupee wearing Announcer screamed.

"Just as Matt hadn't shown us all his tricks yet, neither has Nocto. The opening stage of the fight is over. Now it's time for the second act to start." As Hanzo spoke, Nocto rose to his feet using the wall as support.

"I'll admit I underestimated you." The Caelum native spoke ominously. "However, it's time I showed you the power that will take me to victory." Once he finished speaking, the vague outlines of weapons circled around his form.

'Looks like he's getting serious.' Matt brought back Kanshou and Bakuya to his hands and took a stance.

With a sudden burst of power, the weapon outlines solidified and became the weapons they took the shape of. 12 in total surrounded Nocto from swords, spears, axes and other weapon types.

"Here I come." Within the blink of an eye, Nocto was already about to hit Matt with an axe swing.

Matt raised his swords defensively and strengthened them with a surge of magic power. The axe collided hard enough to crack the ground Matt stood upon. He grunted as his blades held, but his arms shook from the sheer effort needed to stop the weapon.

Gathering all his strength, Matt pushed the axe and Nocto back. Unfortunately for him, Nocto's speed had grown ridiculously with this magic. He barely moved out of the way of a sword slash that managed to leave a cut on his shoulder.

Nocto circled around Matt at incredible speeds, cuts appeared on Matt's body as his eyes couldn't keep up.

'Shit! He'll bleed me dry if this keeps up!' Matt grunted in pain as his thigh was cut. 'Desperate times I guess!' Looking around, Matt spotted what he needed. A faint golden light shined from his deck.

'He summoned a monster. I can't see it, so it could be that mole.' He thought back to yesterday's fight. 'However, he's mistaken if he thinks disrupting my foothold is all it takes to stop me.' Scowling, Nocto increased his speed.

'I should really get an omnidirectional shield or something!' Hissing in pain as more cuts littered his body, Matt's salvation finally arrived. He jumped up as high as he could.

"Useless!" Nocto shouted as he went to fly up, that is until the ground beneath him exploded into a fireball.

Matt quickly summoned the axe-sword and rode it like a surfboard to guard himself from the fire and rubble.

'Unidirectional defense on the other hand…' Matt scowled as the orange fireball was quite blinding.

"Clever strategy." Hanzo nodded as he pieced together what happened.

"Care to share with us Mr. Sarutobi?" Yajima inquired.

"It's quite simple: while Nocto was focused on pure offense, Matt summoned that mole to fetch a fire Lacrima and detonated it beneath himself." The Rune Knight explained stroking his facial hair.

"HAHAHA, what a ballsy move! I like this guy!" Xanxo cackled as he thoroughly enjoyed the spectacles.

'Now then, where are you?' Matt looked around as the fireball finally began to die out. His instincts screamed at him to jump, so he did.

His timing was impeccable and Nocto had smashed a hammer into his makeshift shield. Without wasting time, Matt summoned a large gold axe he should have not been able to physically use normally, but with the use of gravity, he managed to swing it down at Nocto.

A massive clang noise overtook the arena as Matt's axe was stopped by a large shield. Matt, using the handle as a stepping stone, jumped over Nocto and summoned his bow. Basic Magic Power arrows were narrowly dodged by his opponent as Matt fell to the ground with a roll.

He quickly gazed up and went wide-eyed as he barely ducked under a familiar large shuriken. The weapon circled the arena and landed back in Nocto's hand. Both having the first breather after that last clash.

Matt was covered in cuts and blood stained his clothes. Meanwhile Nocto looked to have burns on his legs and arms along with some cuts from rubble. The Caeliniun's face twisted into a slight wince as the wind irritated his burned skin.

'My bleeding has stopped, but I can't risk too many more cuts in case he manages to wound a muscle.' Matt clenched his fists.

'That explosion caught me off-guard, I can't risk too many huge moves now with my arms and legs in this state.' Nocto scowled at his opponent.

''I have to end this with the next attack.'' The pair unanimously thought as they stared each other down.

Silence enveloped the arena as tension ran wild. Everyone knew this fight was about to reach its end.

Nocto's eyes widened as he shot up into the sky. His weapons circled around him as he slowly stopped them.

'Bombardment huh? Well I haven't field tested this move yet, but it's the best defense I got in this scenario.' Matt raised his hand and concentrated his magic up his arm.

When the weapons were fixed into place, Nocto raised his sword.

"This is the end! Ultima Sword!" He pointed his blade at Matt as all twelve of weapons flew at him with amazing speed and exploded on contact. Nocto smirked and breathed heavily, believing himself the victor.

When the dust settled however.

"Wh-what the hell is that?!" Nocto yelled in shock.

A large flower-shaped energy shield was in front of Matt. It's seven petals held strong as no damage appeared on it whatsoever. Rho Aias, a shield that created via Matt's replication magic but stopping at the second phase of creating the shape. By channeling Magic Power into the shield, it can withstand any attack coming towards it. And given Matt's supply of Magic Power, that list was ludicrously long.

Nocto clicked his tongue. 'Doesn't matter, as long as I have this sword I can...!' He gazed at his right hand only to find the sword wasn't there. 'What?! But I was sure that…' His expression turned to shock as he realized what happened, but it was too late.

Matt had already sent Caladbolg II at him, with it exploding upon contact. Nocto's body flew to the ground limply.

'Illusions... sneaky bastard.' Nocto passed out before he hit the ground.

"The winner of the match: Matthew Atlas!" The crowd erupted as Matt had to adjust his stance to stay upright. His breaths were quick and heavy.

'To think I'd need Rho Aias by the third day…' The shield, while incredibly strong was fueled by a constant stream of Magic Power. On top of all the tricks he used earlier, Matt was physically spent. 'Probably doesn't help I poured too much into the damn thing out of paranoia.' He mentally scolded himself before he took the long way to get to Jura.

"Excellent job out there." Jura smiled as Matt weakly groaned and sat on the bench. "Are you sure you don't need assistance?" He raised an eyebrow at the teen who dismissively waved at him.

"Nah, fortunately I made a new friend before the tournament, so I'll call him up in a bit." He absentmindedly said removing his jacket and examining it. "Yup, I can fix it."

Jura looked confused by Matt's words before the latter summoned a small kit from what was likely a Requip Space.

"You know Requip?"

"Eh, just how to create the pocket dimension and pull things out of it. Not really investing much into it outside of that." The teen shrugged as he opened the kit and grabbed some thread.

"You also know how to sew?" Now that caught Jura off-guard.

"Had to. I wreck my clothes so often that it was easier for me to learn how to fix them myself. Plus the brats of the guild often tear their clothes from jobs, so I help them out." Matt responded like he was reciting from a card as his full focus was on the job in front of him.

'So he looks after the younger members of the guild huh? Must be quite the Papa Bear… or perhaps Mama Bear would be more fitting?' Just recalled Matt telling him he cooked for everyone on top of making sure no one else pulled any stupid stunts. Then Jura recalled his rather volatile personality when irritated. 'Definitely a Mama Bear.' He nodded with satisfaction at his answer.

* * *

"Time for the next fight!" After about a thirty minute rest, the tournament continued.

"Introducing first, from Sin: Xanxo Demia!"

The man in his early twenties walked out. He wore what was essentially a suit with a leather jacket instead of a blazer. Said jacket was resting on his shoulders instead if being properly worn. The man's slightly tan skin was covered in scars and his black hair was combed back messily. He had a feral smile as he stopped moving.

"His opponent, from Desierto: Altair Ahad!"

A person of unknown gender walked out wearing white robes with a hood, leather armor that housed various weapons and brown leather boots with knives holstered the the sides.

Matt paid closed attention as his opponent for the semifinals would be the winner.

"I'm surprised you aren't pissed. I did roast your friend after all." He taunted the silent individual.

"He knew what he was getting into, there's no point in crying over spilled milk." They coldly responded.

"Sheesh, talk about harsh." He smirked, "But I can get behind that!" The man took a stance.

"Are the combatants ready?" Fiore looked at both individuals.

Xanxo's smile widened and Altair simply nodded.

"Begin!"

Xanxo quickly charged the hooded individual as he wildly swung punches which were dodged with finesse.

"And Xanxo is already relentlessly attacking yet again!" Chapati commented on Xanxo's simplistic style.

"It's been his go to this entire Tournament." Yajima added.

Altair effortlessly dodged the attacks and when Xanxo overswung, they kicked him square in the chin causing a stagger. Some blood leaked from his mouth, likely due to a bit lip.

"Not too shabby, but if that's the hardest you can hit then you'll go down like all the other ants." He smiled and licked the blood from around his mouth.

With a swift motion, Altair threw around fifteen knives at Xanxo.

'Sleight of hand, they're pretty good at it too.' Matt observed as Xanxo didn't move.

"I think it's time I give my next opponent a little preview of the fun to come tomorrow!" His hands glowed bright orange with flame, the same magic that had roasted his previous opponent. With a yell, the flame spread out all around him and to everyone's shock, instantly melted the throwing knives.

"Xanxo's flames are hot enough to instantly melt metal?!" Chapati screamed in disbelief.

"Those are some extraordinarily dangerous flames…" Hanzo commented with a glare.

"Those flames are certainly impressive, but they pose little threat to me." God Serena let out a cocky smile.

Matt silently scowled at the open display of hostility towards him.

Altair clicked their tongue and suddenly disappeared by melting into their shadow.

Xanxo raised a brow in confusion and looked around. Because of this, he didn't notice a figure emerge from his shadow until be was bombarded with shadowy attacks. He was sent crashing into the wall of the Coliseum floor.

"Hahaha!!! That's a dirty trick, but I admire that!" Xanxo stood and cackled. He saw the odd movements of shadows and shot his flames at them. The stone being singed black from mere contact. "I can play Cat and Mouse all day!" The man yelled with glee as he carelessly started throwing his fire at all the shadows around him.

'This guy is certainly unstbale...' Matt looked on at the madman enjoying himself.

However everyone was surprised when he suddenly stopped for no reason.

"Oi. King guy." He spoke up to King Fiore who was in a private booth.

"U-uh, yes?" He nervously responded.

"What happens if the timer ran out in this fight?" His tone remained flat.

"Well, then Mr. Atlas would move on directly to the finals." The King spoke with a bit of thought.

Xanxo clicked his tongue and stood up straight. "Can't go and let the most interesting prey have a pass." He sighed out. "Sorry about this, but I may end up killing you with this next attack." The man's tone grew cold, sending chills throughout the crowd. He raised his hands up and a bright light enveloped them. When it died down, he was holding a pair of pistols.

"Requip with Guns?" Jura scratched his chin. "I've never heard of such a method being so deadly."

Xanxo pointed the pistols at seperate major shadows as orange light began being absorbed by them.

Matt's expression turned to shock. "That's because those things are absorbing his magic as fuel!"

"What?!" Jura looked at the teen in shock. "If he concentrated those flames from earlier into solid beams…" His expression turned grim at the thought.

"Destruction Wave!!" He shouted as two beams shot from the pistols and into the shadows.

Massive fiery explosions engulfed the floor of the arena. The pillars of fire even eclipsing the height of the statues nearby. Jura shielded himself and Matt from the heat with a rock wall. God Serena laughed in amusement, unaffected by the fire. Alister and Toyo also shielded themselves with Magic.

"This heat is unreal!" Chapati shouted as he became drenched in sweat.

"What power!" Yajima covered his face.

"…!" Hanzo partly shielded himself, being able to handle the power better.

Once it all died down, Xanxo stood where he last was, unaffected by his magic. The ground all around him was scorched and black, the wind causing it to flake off and turn to dust. Altair was on this ground, their clothes burned and their skin uncomfortably red, revealing their female form.

"Th-the winner is Xanxo Demia." The King barely got out as he too was in shock.

Xanxo looked on at the unconscious Altair and turned to leave. Not before he caught a glimpse of Matt and widely smiled at the teen.

'This guy...' Matt tried to keep a stoic expression, but a seed of worry had been planted for his opponent tomorrow. He was supposed to both fight _and _beat that magic.

When the medical team arrived to take Altair to a hospital, Xanxo had already left.

* * *

"We apologize for the extended delay, but now that that's over, let's begin the B Block matches!" The crowd weakly cheered, still shaken by what had happened earlier.

"First up, from Pergrande." Fiore had learned to just stop speaking the man's name unless it was to declare him the victor.

The man around around 17 years-old walked out with a confident strut, before a spotlight appeared above him as he posed.

"Ladies. Gentlemen. Boys and Girls all over the land!" A new pose. "Your God has come before you all once again!" Yet another pose. "Now rejoice! For this God Serena shall show you all a show most spectacular!"

The audience remained dead before, during and after the man spoke.

"It appears as though that Brute has taken my audience's enthusiasm." He smirked. "It doesn't matter, God only needs the audience to observe, not cheer." The man wrote off the lack of applause towards himself and gestured for the King to continue.

"His opponent, from Joya: Alister Smithe!"

The frail looking man... woman... person, in a hospital gown stepped out. Their long white hair and pale skin contrasting the green clothing.

"Are our combatants ready?"

Neither responded, but one could tell they wanted to get on with it.

"Begin!"

Alister slowly raised his hand and made a finger gun shape.

God Serena tilted his head, confused as to what Alister was planning. He felt mildly insulted his opponent would make a gun gesture towards him.

That is until blood spurted out from his shoulder and smoke breezed out the tip of Alister's finger.

'The hell?!' Matt looked on in surprise. 'Did he just fire a gun out of thin air?!'

All this did however was enrage God Serena.

"You dare wound God?!" He charged and unleashed a massive fireball from his hands. It smashed into the ground where Alister formerly stood. Due to the lack of screaming in pain, Serena figured he dodged.

He turned to see Alister with his hand in a similar position to a cutting weapon. God Serena hissed in pain as Aleister somehow cut into his shoulder with nothing.

'I don't get it. He makes a finger gun and he shoots God Serena. Then he makes a blade looking shape with his arm and he's cutting into the guy.' Matt calmed himself and tried to cut out possible magics. 'Can't be wind magic as there would've been some kind of breeze. The sword gesture rules out invisibility magic.'

While Matt was trying to figure out what was happening, God Serena's rage grew by the second.

"This is the first time God Serena has been injured so far!" Chapati looked on with excitement.

His rage only grew with that statement. He directed it towards the frail-looking man by causing a wave of fire to go his way.

In response, Alister made a gesture with his body similar to how one holds a shield. Suddenly the flames collided with an invisible wall.

'And that time he made it look like he used a shield... wait.' Matt solely connected the dots.

"Is something wrong?" Jura looked over.

"I think I figured out that guy's magic..." Matt scowled as his theory slowly gained traction. "And if I'm right, he may actually beat God Serena if that egomaniac doesn't get it together."

Jura looked at the teen with a shocked expression, but quickly turned his attention back to the match. Seeing as the winner could be his next opponent.

Gun. Sword. Sword again. Gun once more.

Serena was being riddled with wounds as blood pooled around his feet. His breathing heavy as the crimson fluid dropped down his body to the dirt.

"You dare..." he muttered. "You dare!" His body tensed. "YOU DARE WOUND GOD INSOLENT ANT!?!?!" God Serena roared in primal fury. Placing his arms up, powerful magic gathered.

"Purgatory Dragon's…" Matt's expression twisted into shock as he read Serena's silent lips. The man using the last bits of his control to keep the style of magic a secret.

"Jura put up a wall to guard the audience right now!" He yelled to the large man who nodded and raised one.

"Unyielding Fury!!!"

Alister attempted to mimic to position one takes being covered by a protective material, but unfortunately, God Serena was truly blinded by rage as the entire floor of the arena was consumed with flame.

This kept up for a solid minute until the magic finally died down. Alister was on the floor, barely breathing with his entire body singed. Everything being even more badly damaged than when Xanxo had let loose on it.

Without even being announced as the winner God Serena left the Coliseum Floor.

'That guy…' Matt could hardly believe there was another Dragon Slayer out there. Then again Natsu exists, but God Serena is much older.

"What power." Jura looked on in shock as Alister was immediately rushed to the hospital.

"If Serena hadn't been blinded by rage, Alister could've won." Matt sat down on the bench. "His magic was based on convincing someone with Illusions that the gesture he made with his hands was real. Hence why when Serena was beyond pissed, it didn't work as he couldn't recognize the subtle illusion Alister's magic employed."

"I see, that truly is a terrifying magic to fight against." Jura looked conflicted. He definitely loved a good fight, but the vibe God Serena gave him sent chills down his spine.

"Hey, get your head together big guy." Jura hadn't even noticed Matt grabbing his shoulders. "Just focus on your next match alright? Worry about the future when it comes." Matt tried to reassure Jura.

"You're right, thank you." He smiled at the teen.

"No problem, I deal with this kinda stuff more often that you think." Matt shrugged as he sat back down. He then summoned out some food and drinks from his Pocket Dimension. "Now would you prefer PBJ or are you more a BLT kind of guy? Also crust or no crust? Oh, and apple or orange juice? I have water too but it's only room temperature." He trailed off as he began to list off the various snacks he kept.

'Definitely a Mama Bear.' Jura smiled with a sweat drop before he began his preparations for his fight with Toyo... after a quick meal of course. He is a growing young adult after all.

* * *

"Now then, with all delays gone, let's move on to the final match of the day!" The crowd at this point as silently cautious in case another psycho decided to use fire magic.

"Coming in first, from Fiore: Jura Neeks!"

The large man stepped out with a calm-but-firm expression on his face.

"His opponent, from Enca: Toyo Hakumen!"

The tall man in pure white armor stepped out onto the floor and calmly stood, awaiting the signal to fight.

'C'mon Jura, you got this.' Matt silently cheered for his friend. Toyo was a tough contender. Easily the best Swordsman here on top of having ridiculous strength and speed. His past two opponents were taken out without them so much as scratching Toyo.

"I must apologize to you Jura-dono." The armored man apologized.

"For what?" Jura raised a cautious brow.

"Originally I had simply wished to compete in this tournament to bring pride to my Country. But now, as a warrior and a mage, it is my solemn duty to make sure individuals like Serena do not become the beacon from which all see us as being like." His fists clenched in anger. "I must defeat you in order to teach that man the lesson he deserves." Resolve dripped from his words.

"...I see." Jura nodded, "But unfortunately, I too wish to meet someone on the field of battle here in this arena. And I too will not allow anyone to stand in my way." He took a stance, "Prepare yourself!"

Toyo looked on surprised for a moment before an audible smirk could be heard from him. He too assumed a fighting stance.

"Are the combatants ready?"

Neither of them even nodded, pure focus and tension in their bodies.

"Uh… Begin?" The King spoke taking an uncertain chance that they were ready.

Jura struck first, shooting the ground up from Toyo, launching him into the air. The white armored man flew, his face obscured by his mask, seemingly still comfortably in control of the fight. Large pillars of earth shot out from the ground to smack the Samurai.

The pillars suddenly held still before bursting into numerous pieces. Toyo now held his long sword in his hands.

'I couldn't even see when he summoned that sword!' Matt looked on in awe over the sheer speed of the Samurai.

'I see, he can cut through normal stone just fine.' Jura changed the positions of his fingers. 'Then how about stone as hard as metal?!'

From a magic circle, numerous pillars of earth flew at Toyo. At first he attempted to cut them, but seeing this fail, he immediately set out to parry them. Matt vaguely noticed the sheath on his hip faintly begin to glow white along with the sword.

Toyo continued to deflect the iron-hard stone, the faint glow of his sheath and sword becoming brighter and brighter. Jura had also noticed this by then, but he was more worried over something else.

'He's damaging the stone?!' He tried to hide his shocked thoughts with a mask of focus, but the sweat running down his brow told another story.

It eventually happened, Toyo began to cut through the stone like butter with his now blindingly white sword and sheath.

'I see. His Magic is increasing the cutting power of that sword over how much he hits something with it. Doesn't explain the sheath glowing too though…' Matt pieces together half of Toyo's magic.

When the Samurai ceased attacking and sheathed his sword, he finally spoke.

"I reccomend you raise your strongest defenses Jura-dono. Otherwise this may kill you." He assumed an Iaido stance with his hand hovering about the handle of his sword.

Jura placed dozens of his strongest stone pillars in front of him.

"White Void!" Toyo shouted as he unsheathed the blade and drew a sword, brimming with destructive magic energy. It swung through the pillars one-by-one with ease at first, after two-thirds of them were cut through, the process slowed.

'I see now, by re-sheathing his sword, he can double the power output. Talk about scary.' Matt worried for Jura's victory.

Jura closely analyzed the attack and realized he had a way out and acted quickly. He twisted the remaining pillars and redirected the slowed attack upwards. It cleaved through two of the large statues with ease as Toyo spun unsteadily, not expecting Jura's counter to throw him off-balance.

Capitalizing, Jura clapped his hands together and summoned forth all his Magic Power.

"Rumbling Fuji!"

A massive pillar of pure power lashed out at the Swordsman, encasing him and obscuring his form to everyone. After a moment, the attack died down and Toyo was still standing, albeit barely. His armor was heavily damaged, revealing his pale skin and white hair. It likely wouldn't provide anymore protection. Toyo stuck his sword into the ground to stabilize himself as his body begged for air.

Jura wasn't fairing much better, he too had thrown everything he had in that attack and was on one knee. His breaths, while not as desperate as Toyo's, were still quick.

"Both men are barely going now! Who will be Victor be?!" The overly enthusiastic Announcer bit his nails.

"Whoever lands the next strike, shall win." Hanzo firmly stated.

'To think Jura was able to redirect that kind of power at all.' The teen wiped his brow as he gazed down at the arena floor.

"C'mon Jura, you got this!" Matt yelled words of encouragement to his friend.

The 20 year-old shakily stood, his next offense not even planned.

"I'll give you credit Jura-dono, you're the first person to push me this hard." Toyo spoke, finally able to control his breathing. "However, the victory shall go to me!" Once again he sheathed his sword.

'He still had remaining energy in it?!' Matt panicked internally as while the glow was nowhere near as strong as it was before, it was there.

"Prepare yourself!" Toyo declared before charging at Jura. The bald man's eyes obscured by shadows.

As Toyo swung his sword, Jura fell forward, seemingly unconscious. That is until the blade was stopped by a single pillar of iron-hard stone. In Toyo's confusion, Jura stomped his leading leg into the ground, took a stance and delivered a cringe-inducing uppercut to the Samurai.

The Swordsman flew with a tooth or two of his and collided with the ground, down for the count this time.

"The winner is: Jura Neeks!" The crowd, reinvigorated by not being blasted with heat again, yelled in joy as both of their countrymen made it to the top four.

Jura nearly collapsed until Matt caught him.

"Oof, you're pretty heavy big guy." Matt smirked at the man.

"No, you're just too small." The bald man grinned.

"I'm 5'7 damnit! Cut me some slack!" He comically yelled to Jura.

* * *

"Well there you have it! Our final four combatants!" The large screen displayed images of all four semi-finalists. "Out first match of tomorrow shall be Matthew Atlas vs. Xanxo Demia! Until then everyone, have a wonderful night!"

With those closing words everyone dispersed, Matt took Jura to the nurse for a visit while he waited outside the room. Still a bit traumatized from nurses after Porlyusica. That woman was effective at her job, though she'd get a negative review in terms of taking care of her patients mental health. The number of odd, bad-tasting fluids she'd forced Matt to drink basically made Maple Syrup an impossible thing to enjoy now.

Echoing footsteps along the halls caught the teens attention as he turned his head to see Xanxo standing there with a smile.

Wordlessly, Matt scowled and approached the man. The pair had a stand off with the possibility of them not waiting for tomorrow very real. Each man unleashed an aura of Magic Power, sizing the other up. Matt's purple clashing with Xanxo's orange.

The teen raised his hand up to Xanxo's face, his knuckles mere millimeters away from touching him. Twisting his hand with the palm up, Matt curled his fingers towards himself three times.

Xanxo's smiled grew much wider at Matt's resolve and he left the teen alone until tomorrow. Where they both knew that their fight wouldn't be pretty.

"He's quite eager isn't he?" Jura spoke, exiting the Nurses room.

"Doesn't matter, he'd rather wait until tomorrow when he'd have me at my best." Matt absentmindedly spoke, still glaring in the direction the unstable man walked off in.

"I see. Regardless, we should get back to the hotel and rest. We're both gonna need it." Jura placed a hand on Matt's shoulder.

"Yeah. Let's go." The duo then left the Coliseum.

* * *

"Mmm." The king pouted at the dinner table.

"Is something wrong your majesty?" The General from Sin asked.

"I'm just disappointed my attempt to shake up the fights today failed is all." He sighed in disappointment.

"Ah, with the Lacrima yes?" Hanzo spoke after taking a sip of wine.

"Indeed. I was so happy when Matt used them as effectively as he did, but he was the only one!" Comical tears welled up in his eyes.

"Well, I suppose that your plan was doomed from the start." Hanzo spoke plainly.

"What do you mean Captain?" Sin's representative curiously said.

"It's quite simple, Mage's are very proud groups of people. They train and hone their magic for years and years. Taking extreme pride in their hard work and effort. Some techniques can take years at a time for some Mage's to learn." He took a drink before finishing. "So your gesture to them might have been taken as an insult."

"But then why did Matt use them?" King Fiore spoke, clearly confused.

"I believe I can answer that." The General spoke up. "That boy is actually more similar to someone such as myself or Captain Sarutobi than a regular mage."

"Indeed." The Rune Knight nodded. "Matthew Atlas, while clearly taking pride in his hard work with Magic, is also the type of person who will use every tool at his disposal to obtain victory. He's the type that prefers to think before acting, a more uncommon trait than you'd assume amongst mages." Sarutobi spoke with clear experience.

"Yes, so while Matthew Atlas may have used the Lacrima, and Jura Neeks potentially may have if it wasn't for his style of fighting in one place or the circumstances of his fight, everyone else likely saw it as pity and an insult. Well, God Serena likely saw it as pity for his opponents instead of an insult towards him…" Even the general didn't know what to make of that man.

"I see…" The King nodded as he entered a deep thought. "I suppose I'll return the rules to normal for tomorrow then." He folded his arms and groaned. "But I still want to do something special for the finals…" Hopefully inspiration will strike him tomorrow. "Speaking of tomorrow, who do you two think will reach the finals?"

"Hmmm." Captain Sarutobi rubbed his chin. "Between Jura Neeks and God Serena, I might have to go with the latter, especially after his earlier display…" The sheer power of that attack was hard to believe. "As for our opening match, that's hard to say."

"Xanxo will win." The general spoke adamantly, immediately gaining looks from the other two. "Don't be mistaken either, this isn't an opinion born of bias." His expression turned grim. "Xanxo is already a very powerful and dangerous mage, but when he sees prey that he wants to fight? Let's just say his earlier stunt was the tip of the iceberg." A slight shiver went down his spine.

"I still believe in Matt." King Fiore spoke resolutely. "That man can overcome anything thrown in his way, I just know it." Even with that declaration, he had to admit that his worry was blatant. 'Whatever you do Matt, don't loose. Especially not in front of the person who sees you as their hero…'

**One more steps up, one more falls. Welcome back everyone! I'm feeling much better now compared to last week.**

**So this chapter has a fair bit to cover.** **Aside from the poor bastards tasked to clean up the arena after the mages duke it out. A moment of silence for their labor this chapter... okay that's more than what they deserve, on with the notes!**

**Firstly was Matt vs Nocto. This was just a fun fight to write. Nocto uses similar magic to Matt, but far more limited in it's scope. It certainly makes up for it in other areas. We also saw the debut of Rho Aias here. It's definitely a natural progression of Matt's abilities with his magic by mastering the shaping and condensing process. In case you were wondering who that friend he referred to is, you'll find out next chapter.**

**Xanxo vs Altair was definitely used to show off how utterly terrifying Xanxo's flames are. Even in KHR, they're stated to be absolutely ridiculous in their destructive capabilities. So transferring that to Fairy Tail was pretty easy.**

**Serena vs Alister will probably garner a few brow raises. No, I did not create that very OP and specific magic for him, it's literally one of his main magics in Index. Hence why I said it would be a spoiler since it does not appear until late NT. Either way, it definitely pushed Serena into using his true magic. He had managed to hide the named from everyone else except Matt, but the fact remains it won't be a secret much longer.**

**Toyo vs Jura was interesting. Having to give Hakumen a magic was oddly easy since I just remembered reading or seeing this specific ability from somewhere else. Either way, it was definitely gonna push Jura pretty far, but will he be able to take down God Serena? That remains to be seen.**

**So next time we got the penultimate chapter to this Arc. Fourteen will be the finale and Fifteen will be the epilogue, so we are almost done. I'm so grateful to any of you who have stuck around so far for the ride and hope you'll be looking forward to the next arc!**

**Who knows, it might be closer than you'd think.**


	13. Before the Storm

**Well once again, I find myself sitting here, writing responses to... way more reviews than I'm used to good lord.**

**Arclight001: **_sigh _The jar of Things I Literally Address the Next Chapter has money in it now. In terms of limitations, the pretty obvious one is no magic-based weapons. Caladbolg II is a psuedo-exception since Matt makes the Magic Power holding it unstable, causing the explosions. Replication Magic can only natively make basic weapons and objects without anything imbued. This will be furthur adressed in the epilogue to this arc, so just wait until that for more details.

**Raidentensho**: Y'know you just gave me an idea I hadn't considered before so thanks for that. It does relate to the Fate-centric armor for Erza, but its only a small part of the bigger picture. As for her taking some pages from Matt's completely orignal move book with nothing stolen whatsoever, you'll have to wait and see... because I haven't gotten to the point where I could write anything like that yet. Don't take that as Erza not having any on-screen fights before canon, we just won't see any for a bit.

**Middernacht: **Well if we went based on gameplay of the actual TCG, then probably Stardust Dragon (he'll be getting a pretty sick debut when he rolls around later). If this was based purely on design, removing the main dragons because they'd absolutely dominate most of my picks, I'd probably hand my favorite card off to Exodia. Such a badass design and his debut scene is unquestionably legendary.

**MrBatman123086: **In theory for roller blades and yo-yo's, yes. However as explained in earlier chapters, Replication Magic requires a very concise and complete understanding of how something works, functions and is made. So with time, Matt could learn to create objects of that nature. Except for the Hoverboard. That's above what the magic can do by itself.

**Okay, now that that's all done, let's enjoy a fully-grown man fight a 13 year-old!**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**It looks better on paper I swear.**

Contrary to the past three days, the crowd today was filled with evident worry. While both of Fiore's representatives had made it to the semifinals, a feat that is nothing to scoff at, their opponents were not people to underestimate. If one looked closely, slight undertones of fear were evident in every attendant.

Matt silently made his way into the Coliseum, the silence of the massive crowd not deterring him in the slightest.

"Hey there kid." Matt turned to see Date exiting the bathroom as he walked down the hall.

"Oh, hey Date." The teen spoke partly absentminded. Date noticed this but wrote it off as pre-match jitters.

"Just wanted to wish you luck out there. Do us proud and kick that psychos ass." He gave a thumbs up and smile before walking off. 'Most importantly: don't die.' He grimly thought as Matt didn't respond and took his usual spot in the hallway leading to the floor.

Matt squatted and rested against the wall. He pulled out some of his cards. Feeling their confidence eased Matt's conscious a bit, but there the seeds of doubt against this guy were evident. From that fire magic that laughs at steel, to his practically inhuman glee at fighting. The combo definitely served to bring up some... unpleasant memories.

'And to think I'll have to fight Jura or Spotlight Man after this…' He bitterly sighed before he entered a state of semi-meditation.

The horns signaling the start of the fourth day erupted.

"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen! Today marks the fourth day of the Grand Wizard Tournament!" The crowd didn't cheer at all. Not even a whisper or whimper could be heard.

"A silent response from the crowd on the fourth day. Hello ladies and gentlemen, I am Chapati Lola. As usual, my co-announcer is Councilman Yajima." Chapati spoke with much less enthusiasm than normal.

"As usual it's a pleasure to be here." Yajima tried to inject some more positivity into the Coliseum.

"Our guest Announcer for the fourth day is none other than Warrod Sequen a Wizard Saint!" Chapati gestured to the man who was like a humanoid tree.

"Well I'm glad to be here and out of woodwork if you know what I mean." His pun garnered a groan from everyone.

"Now then! Let's move on to the first match of the day!" Some of the audience actively tensed. "The rules will be the same as they were the first two days albeit with a 30 minute time limit on the fight." This decision caused some people to be confused, but they shrugged it off.

"Introducing first, from Fiore: Matthew Atlas!" The crowd turned into nervous applause as the teen walked out, seemingly unaffected by their pity.

"His opponent, from Sin: Xanxo Demia!" Everyone was silent as the young adult made his way onto the floor, a slasher smile on his face.

Neither man spoke a word as they stared the other down. With the undisturbed silence from the audience, it was time for this showdown to begin as high noon approached.

"Are our combatants ready?"

Matt took a wide stance and Xanxo remained still, opting for his animalistic slouch forward.

"Begin!"

Immediately Xanxo summoned his guns.

"He's already going in with those?!" Chapati yelled in shock.

Matt summoned multiple swords above him and launched them at Xanxo. The Sin citizen shot them down with a smile. While he was focused on that, Matt charged at him with Kanshou and Bakuya in hand.

His swing was guarded by one of the pistols, sparks flying off the metal. The other firearm was moved to be pointed at Matt's head, mere millimeters from the skin. Matt dropped Bakuya and moved the gun just past his head when it fired. The heat, while not as intense as yesterday, caused a hiss of pain to escape the teen's lips. Matt immediately squeezed the gun tight and headbutted Xanxo by pulling him forward with his own weapon.

"Ha!" Xanxo let out a loud laugh of glee as Matt flipped him onto his back. He immediately raised his other gun right at Matt's gut, but the teen fortunately used his knee to redirect it. Unfortunately it still left a long burn on his shoulder, all exposed skin immediately smoking and stinging like mad from even the gentlest breeze. Matt growled in pain as he dropped an elbow onto Xanxo's nose, breaking the appendage with a cringe-inducing pop.

"Matt's trying to counter those weapons of mass destruction with close-range combat!" Chapati noted as the two teens brutalized each other.

"Indeed that certainly is one way to counter them." Yajima nodded.

Xanxo raised his legs up and wrapped them around Matt's head before throwing the Fairy Tail mage over himself. Landing on his back hard, Matt rolled to dodge the quick firing of Xanxo's guns.

"Got you!" He yelled in glee before the ground beneath him erupted. Xanxo clicked his tongue as the form of Grand Mole destroyed his footing. "Get out of here damn rodent!" Pointing his guns into the ground, Xanxo charged them with his hellfire.

Matt's eyes became saucers as he threw up Rho Aias to guard against the massive eruption of power aimed directly at the now uninhabited ground. The heat singed the hairs on his arms even with Rho Aias up.

Once he dispelled the shield, Xanxo was already on him with a fierce kick to Matt's chin. The teen flew back with a grunt and hit the wall. He quickly stood as blood trailed down his mouth.

"More! Show me more!" Xanxo raised his guns again as Matt jumped up onto the sole remaining statue that was intact. When he unleashed a powerful beam onto the statue, Matt jumped off. The heat melted the stone, which shouldn't have been physically possible, however that magic simply defied all common sense.

'Is his damn fire this hot because joy is making his magic stronger?!' Matt theorized as he escaped the attack.

Xanxo looked around for his opponent until he saw him flying in the sky. He smiled widely and took aim, only for him to immediately loose sight. Matt's foot smashing into his temple almost knocked the older teen silly with a concussion. Sin's Representative stood with a growl and tried shooting him again, only for him to be bombarded with hits from all angles at incredible speed.

"It seems as though Matt has turned the tides! Xanxo is helpless to this barrage of attacks!" Chapati exclaimed with glee.

"It seems like people with ordinary names are truly powerful." Warrod placed a hand on his mouth. "That was a joke." He chuckled only to have looks of exasperation from those listening.

"You can't hit me like this now Xanxo." The teen boldly declared in the air. "It takes too long for you to aim and charge, meanwhile my little friend is much faster than you'd expect." Winged Kuriboh on his back spoke with a "Kuri!" of agreement.

"Heh." Xanxo sharply exhaled. "Hahahaha. Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!!!" His laughs morphed into cackles of pure joy. "Do you think this will stop me?!" He smiled to an uncomfortable degree as the crimson fluid from head wounds and his busted nose flowed freely.

Pointing one gun straight down, Xanxo's smile grew even bigger.

'He can't be serious.' Matt thought in disbelief over what Xanxo was about to attempt.

Magic Power gathered into the pistol as Xanxo ran in Matt's direction on the edge of the arena. He leapt up into the audience and kept charging up the structure, and when he reached the edge, he jumped and unleashed a powerful beam that allowed the madman to fly.

'Holy shit he's serious?!' Matt flew back as Xanxo began chasing after him.

"It seems as though this fight has taken to the skies!" Chapati looked on in shock over how the fight had progressed.

The duo flew into the skyline above the city. Xanxo's magic practically glassing any area it hit with ease.

'Alright then, you wanna play? Let's play.' Matt launched swords back at the psycho who dodged some and shot others down with his free weapon.

"Useless!" Xanxo's beam didn't even touch the ground anymore as the sheer power of it kept him afloat.

What Xanxo didn't notice was the two swords turning midair to go right at him. When he did notice, he quickly shot them down at awkward angles, enabling Matt to land a solid cut to the man's shoulder. Xanxo smiled as his white shirt was mostly red now.

As expected, the pair then eventually reached, and flew around the castle.

"Die!" He shot at Matt who dodged the laser, the beam split apart the roof of one tower, causing it to topple to the ground. Three of the larger spires met the same fate as the dogfight continued.

The King should have been mad, but what he was seeing caused an idea to stir within him.

Matt flew low into the city, trying to get out of sight, but Xanxo just shot through walls, boxes, windows, anything to get to him, laying utter ruin to whatever got in his way of Matt.

"Those two are racking up quite the property damage!" Yajima sweated as he could feel Makarov's soul leaving his body in abject horror of the cost this will be.

Firing more swords at Xanxo which were shot down, Matt went straight up. Giving chase, Xanxo completely annihilated a bakery on his trip up. Firing with his free gun straight up at Matt who dodged and entered the clouds, he continued to shoot blindly at the clouds blocking his sight.

"This is too fun!" He smiled in delight as the clouds were ripped apart by his attacks. Matt kicked him straight into the back, having escaped the barrage and sneaked around the lunatic. Xanxo ceased firing and turned to point both guns at Matt, beams of extreme heat were narrowly dodged as the clouds in the immediate area instantly evaporated.

Xanxo spun around with his beams and hit the ground with them, giving him the upwards momentum to continue. A poor house was utterly decimated by his attack. Aiming only one to the ground, Xanxo kept the still firing beam on Matt, carving into the city and causing an explosion to completely devastate a street.

Matt spun around the beam and moved towards Xanxo, punching his skull straight down. Xanxo used the momentum to spin and heel kick Matt towards the ground. The beams stopped as Xanxo took aim at Matt and fired.

The teen narrowly dodged, but his shoes were completely ruined from the narrow getaway. Kicking them off midair, Matt dodged more offense from Xanxo. All the while the man cackled in pure glee.

They approached a large structure made of two buildings and a bridge connecting them. Matt led Xanxo towards this bridge and circled around it at top speed. Once again he kicked Xanxo towards the ground, the cracking of broken ribs was audible to both men. Unfortunately, Matt failed to notice the gun pointed at him from the cover of Xanxo's jacket.

The orange beam hit Matt square in the chest and sent him crashing into the street a fair distance away. A colossal dust cloud was kicked up from the impact.

"Matt!" Jura cried out in worry as he watched the projection of the battle.

Matt groaned in pain atop a pile of rubble. His shirt was ruined and the skin of his torso was pitch black and resembled coal. Kuriboh was quickly summoned and the pain slowly subsided as the black skin regained its color.

"Thanks buddy." Matt groaned out as he stood. His complexion slightly pale. Winged Kuriboh had been de-summoned when the pair collided with the ground, taking Matt out of the skies.

'That hit took _a lot_ out of me. If he nails me again like that, it's game over.' The teen grimaced in pain as he stood.

"Found you!" Xanxo cried as he fired another large beam at Matt.

"Breaker!" He quickly threw out a card to summon a man in red armor. His green sword glowed and he swung it at the beam, canceling the attack. Immediately he was de-summoned by Matt.

While Xanxo was confused, Matt started a counterattack by firing magic arrows at the man. 'Unfortunately Winged Kuriboh needs time to come back after summoning. Breaker meanwhile needs 5 minutes to reuse his spell cancel ability.' Matt clicked his tongue realizing how tight his position was. 'I need to get rid of those damn guns. Question is: how?' Matt found his answer next to him as a crate had been broken open, it's contents spilling out onto the ground.

Regaining his focus, Xanxo shot the incoming arrows out of the sky, his beams colliding with the ground and kicking up dust and rubble. Matt shot out of the cloud and flew right at him.

"Hoh? You're approaching me?" Xanxo smiled.

"Can't kick your ass if I don't!" Matt yelled at him.

His smile grew uncomfortably wide. "Then come as close as you want!!" Immediately Xanxo started firing at Matt who didn't even attempt to dodge. If Xanxo had been more levelheaded and not suffering from a minor concussion, he'd have noticed the distinct lack of wounds being inflicted onto Matt by the beams. That and the lack of Winged Kuriboh enabling his flight.

When Matt was face-to-face with Xanxo, he spontaneously exploded. When Xanxo could see again, his arms were encased in ice.

"Oh! Matt has turned into a massive chunk of ice to bind Xanxo's arms!" Chapati seemed confused by even his own words.

"Below him!" Yajima shouted.

"Now burn in hell you bastard!" Matt had fully drawn Caladbolg II and Red-Eyes was next to him. "Inferno Fire Eruption!" He screamed as he fired the arrow along with Red-Eyes firing his own attack. The two merged in a Unison Raid and exploded on contact with Xanxo. Covering the skyline in fire bright enough to be seen miles away.

The shockwave shattered all nearby glass as a massive black smoke cloud took its place in the sky.

'Thank you Lacrima.' Matt exhaled. 'Firing an Ice Lacrima with a simple illusion slapped onto it fortunately worked on the blood lusted bastard.'

Xanxo fell from the sky and harshly collided with the ground. Matt winched from the noises his body made. Immediately, the teen made for his guns and threw them into a store, out of the reach of Xanxo. He then looked at the young adult. His torso exposed and charred as his shirt and jacket were utterly disintegrated. The blood had evaporated as his wounds were practically cauterized from the attack. Slight sizzling noises came from his body as well. However, to the shock of everyone, Xanxo got up from that.

"That was… pretty good." He wickedly smiled as he straightened himself up. "Unfortunately for you, I'm pretty resistant to fire. But even with that you burned me pretty good." He rubbed his mouth with his forearm.

'Heh. Would've been too easy if he went down from that I guess.' Matt bitterly smirked at his own rotten luck.

"Guess it's back to basics then without my guns." The man seen unaffected by the loss of his firearms. "Now come on!" His arms went alight with that uncontrollable orange fire.

'These flames can melt steel almost instantly. Metal ain't gonna work here. Plan B is too risky since he could theoretically melt the petals. Talk about a pain in the ass.' Matt scowled and launched some blades at Xanxo who easily melted them. 'There has to be something I can do!' Matt thought as he dodged Xanxo's fists. 'Think! His magic can immediately melt unsupported metal. I don't readily have access to tungsten, so I couldn't memorize it with my magic. That means I gotta get creative.'

He rolled away and shot a few blades as Xanxo, the man dodged some and tanking others. Unfortunately for Matt, he saw the sneak attack coming from the supposedly dodged blades.

"Same trick won't work on me twice!" Xanxo gleefully yelled as he tried to attack his opponent.

'His fire magic is ludicrously hot, at this rate I won't physically hold out-' It suddenly came to him. The physical body of a mage develops in two ways: through natural growth and via growing the magic container. Even if the body naturally ages and weakens, the natural abilities granted by having a strong container remain forever. While Matt's 13 year-old body was still physically developing, his magic container was _much_ higher than even his peers. 'So that means...'

Matt jumped back and summoned more blades to shoot at Xanxo. There was a key difference with these particular blades though, rampant purple energy danced around them in a near-full coating.

"That trick again? Tell me there's more to it than-" Xanxo was cut off when a blade flew past his head and cut his cheek. His expression was one of legitimate shock. Once more another blade shot out and cut his forearm, passing directly through the flames unscathed.

"Matt has now created blades that can withstand those flames!!" Chapati screamed in excitement.

The solution was simple. Coat the blades in so much magic power, that even Xanxo's flames can't melt through it all fast enough to actually affect the blade.

"Now then." Matt straightened up his stance and raised his hand. "Come at me." His expression was one of determination.

Xanxo's face instantly morphed into pure glee as he charged at Matt. His fist met Magic Overkill Blade as the two clashed. The psycho started to laugh as his weakened skin received constant cuts from Matt easily parrying his predictable strikes.

'You can be as resistant to flames as you want. Doesn't mean the nerves close to the skin will appreciate it.' Matt scowled as he parried another punch, cutting deep into Xanxo's forearm.

Blood covered the body of Xanxo, but he didn't care one bit.

"We advise you shield the eyes of younger viewers from this fight!" Chapati quickly tried to warn parents, but his words fell on deaf ears as everyone else was captivated by the ensuing bloodbath.

"This is fun! This is the most fun I've ever had!!" It seemed like no matter how much blood or how many chunks of his flesh were carved out, Xanxo kept smiling.

Suddenly, Matt stopped swinging and lowered his weapons, much to everyone else's confusion.

"What's the matter?! COME ON!" Xanxo roared as he went to throw a punch but found nothing moving. He gazed down to his blood-soaked arms.

"I've cut into the bundles of nerves in your arms. They won't be moving during this fight anymore." Matt calmly stated, knowing he'd already won.

"Then I'll kick you to death!" He went for a roundhouse with his right leg. Matt caught the limb, straightened it and then smashed his forearm into the knee, bending it backwards with a gut-wrenching snap. Matt spun him and kicked him square in the temple, for sure giving Xanxo another concussion.

Xanxo fell to the ground, unable to move now. His body completely shutting off all unnecessary movements.

"Give up Xanxo. You've lost." Matt advised the older teen.

"No…" He writhed on the ground in an attempt to stand. "I haven't lost, until I've died!" The blood loss was clearly starting to get to him.

"I feel sorry for you." Matt dryly remarked as he looked at him in pity.

"What did you say?" Venom dripped from his every word.

"If dying is your definition of losing, then you've clearly never had anything with living for. And that's a sad existence to live with."

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" His eyes were bloodshot with rage.

"You're right, I don't. But it doesn't mean I can't at least speak to a clearly lost soul in an attempt to help."

Xanxo growled in frustration from his inability to move.

"Find it." Matt plainly stated to him.

"What?" Xanxo looked at him confused.

"Your reason to live." Xanxo's silence prompted him to continue. "For me it's two things. The first is a bit too personal to share publicly, but it's a pretty good motivator. However the second." Matt rolled up the sleeve of his right arm to reveal the Guild Stamp. "I've got a big group of idiots y'know. I end up taking care of them most the time, even the adults act like children. Everyone drinks, yells, parties and fights all the time, and I'm the poor bastard on clean up duty. Don't even get me started on Master. The old pervert will probably hit on any feminine organic matter within a ten foot radius, _especially _when he's drunk. Then I have to deal with all the kids, making sure they're taking care of themselves, feeding them along with everyone else at the guild, helping them train, making sure they do jobs they can handle. OH! And I can't forget the constant wardrobes I have to buy since he _some people _decided that practical jokes involving fire and ice are great ways to get back at each other. I swear, I've lost hours of sleep over their antics intentionally and unintentionally." The teen ranted and raved over nothing but negatives, almost like having no one to vent to was driving him mad.

Eventually he stopped to take a breath. "But you know what? I wouldn't trade those idiots for anything else in the world. A family, even if only by water, can be just what a person needs most. That's the kind of idea we carry at my guild. People to cry with you, get mad with you, party with you and be there for you." Matt smiled. "Yeah, that's something nothing can be traded for or replaced by."

Silence overtook the pair as no one dare interrupt this moment.

"...What's the name?" Xanxo weakly asked.

Matt smirked. "Fairy Tail. The most headache-inducing Guild in all of Fiore."

"Heh. Sounds like… a pain." Xanxo passed out with a grin.

"The winner is Matthew Atlas!" The crowd erupted with cheers.

"What an upset! Matthew Atlas has secured his spot in the Finals!" Chapati spoke with clear joy.

"Indeed, and what a great match this was." Yajima smiled.

'So even the younger generation carries your will... Mavis.' Warrod smiled warmly at Matt.

Matt sat down and exhaled. "Probably gonna be a bit before the medical staff gets here." He laid down with his arms and legs spread. "What a pain in the ass." The teen complained as he looked at the blue sky.

* * *

After getting some light treatment and a new undershirt, Matt made his way over to Jura.

"Congratulations on your win and subsequent advancement." He smiled at the thirteen year-old.

"Thanks. Now it's on you to follow suit." Matt smirked at Jura who nodded solemnly.

"Indeed. I have no doubt my coming fight will be just as difficult as yours was."

"No kidding, I'd say I got the better deal between us. Xanxo is crazy, but that was it. God Serena though..."

"Yes, his mood swings wildly. Especially if he's on the losing end if yesterday is anything to go by." Jura vividly remembered the burned form of Alister from yesterday. The man mad it out okay thanks to the excellent medical treatment mages can offer, but it was still too close for comfort.

"Your best bet is to probably take him out in one hit. Or as close to one his as possible." Matt theorized as he sat down.

"My thought exactly." The bald man nodded.

"Will the next two competitors please take their positions please?" The King spoke over a speaker.

"Well, that's your cue big guy, go get em'!" Matt smiled at Jura and raised his fist.

"I will." Jura returned the fist bump before walking off.

"Just be careful." Matt muttered as Jura walked off.

* * *

"Well Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for the last match of the day!" Silence once again reigned supreme over the crowd. They knew how God Serena was, and they were not excited.

"So let's get our first combatant out!" He gestured his left hand down. "From Pergrande."

The man walked out in a stride and posed as that spotlight once again shone down onto him. Matt actually looked up to see if there was an operator or something. To his shock, it was literally descending from the sky.

'The hell is with this guy.' Matt had comical sweat drops on the back of his head.

"Once more, this God has come before you all today!" A new pose. "And once more I shall demonstrate to you all." Another pose. "Why this God Serena, is the strongest mage in the world!"

Cue the confetti, flashing spotlights and all the remaining humbug that disappeared as quickly as it came.

The King continued once the man seemed to be waiting to move on.

"And his opponent, from Fiore: Jura Neeks!"

The twenty year-old walked out calm and collected, ready for the coming fight.

"Allow me to congratulate you for having the distinct honor of fighting me." God Serena spoke loudly.

"Thank you for the gesture, but-" Jura tried to speak but got cut off.

"No no, you're mistaken." He raised his hand. "This God is not talking to you." His eyes gestured up to Matt. "I'd just rather save my valuable words tomorrow for the victory speech is all." He coyly smirked.

'Does this guy already know he can beat Jura?' Matt scowled at the man.

Jura wasn't angered by the rude gesture, but he was slightly more determined to wipe that smirk off the arrogant man's face.

"Are the combatants ready?"

God Serena smirked and Jura's fist clenched.

"Begin!"

Immediately, Jura encased God Serena in a rock pyramid. The latter broke out of it with fire-encased fists. Jura took the fragments of the destroyed structure and launched them at Serena who dodged and occasionally punched some into dust.

Next, Jura caused the ground around God Serena to shoot up. However the eccentric man easily broke apart the stone and landed on the ground with a smirk.

'I need to catch him off guard, but how?' The young man decided to channel his inner Matt and attempt a hail mary.

Deciding to try something unexpected, Jura made a familiar finger gun gesture. Serena's eyes widened as he dodged on pure instict. However, he dodged face-first into a stone pillar that shout out of the ground. The man staggered a bit as blood dripped down his face and was then hit square on the chin by a stone pillar, he fell back to the ground.

"Don't let up Jura!" Matt yelled as he knew this was _the_ chance to win.

Jura clasped his hands together while Serena slowly stood. His body shaking with each movement.

"Rumbling Fuji!" He shouted as the familiar pillar of pure energy ascended from the ground. Kicking up a fierce amount of wind.

Serena was lifted into the air and as he fell, Jura continued his assault. He collected the large chunks of earth that were discarded around the ground and launched them at Serena. "Rock Avalanche!" Another powerful spell as God Serena was bombarded with magically strengthened rock.

The eccentric man smashed into the wall and fell to the ground, completely and utterly motionless.

Everyone looked on in clear shock over what had just happened. Jura uneasily stood with heavy breaths as he used most of his magic power in those two attacks.

"Th-the winner is-" As the King went to make his announcement he saw God Serena twitch.

Slowly the man stood, his face obscured by shadow. What was more concerning, was the fact he barely looked injured after that.

'What the hell is this feeling?' Matt began to sweat as an aura was emitted from God Serena.

"Everyone! Evacuate the arena now!" Warrod yelled as the citizens complied and ran in wordless terror. "Cut the feed to the broadcast now!" He shouted to the King who immediately gave the order.

"Mr. Warrod what's wrong?" Chapati tried to ask, but upon seeing the serious expression of him, quieted down.

"Allow me to show you what real pain is." God Serena spoke with utter malice. His face lifted to reveal his eyes.

"W-what?" Jura looked completely dumbfounded. God Serena's eyes were now different. His sclera were dark blue and his iris had noticeably shrunk and turned pure white.

"Cavern Dragon's Planetary Eruption!" He raised his hands causing the entire floor of the Coliseum to shoot up, shaking the entire mountain the structure sat atop.

"Purgatory Dragon's Infernal Hellscape!" He breathed white-hot fire into the rock, causing it to melt and even evaporate.

"Electrocution Dragon's Vile Discharge!" A canon of lighting shot into the surviving rocks, making them explode.

"Forest Dragon's-" As God Serena went to cast the spell, a powerful force hit him square in the chest, smashing him into the wall. He looked up to see Matt with his bow at the ready.

"Hey. You wanna die?" He spoke in a calm manner, but the blood dripping down his palms and dot-thin iris' said otherwise.

Serena smiled widely and was about to start their fight early, rules and schedules be damnned.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" The King roared out for the first time. "God Serena you've won this round, now leave this arena!"

The man smiled before blinking and making his eyes turn back to normal. Not caring regardless as long as he got to fight the teen.

"This God, shall see you tomorrow." He said to Matt and left with a grin.

Matt dispelled his bow and immediately went over to Jura who had been caught midair by Baby Dragon. His condition wasn't good to say the least.

"Kuriboh!" He summoned the small creature for the second time today, taking up a large amount of magic power. Wordlessly the creature began to heal what damage he could.

Jura's breaths grew steadier and didn't sound clogged. Rune Knights quickly approached him.

"Take him to Lily Central Hospital this instant!" Captain Sarutobi barked at the men.

"Sir!" The men placed Jura on a stretcher and rushed him off.

Matt gazed at the completely decimated Coliseum floor. It opened into a massive cavern. Hell, the entire building had been pretty roughed up. Large slabs of rock were smashed into seats. Other portions of the stands were pure black and other parts had been completely destroyed.

"You intend to fight _that_?" Sarutobi asked Matt who's eyes were draped with his bangs.

"No." Matt spoke before turning to face Sarutobi. "I intend to make that bastard regret the day he was born."

Sarutobi's eyes widened as he gazed into Matt's. The most potent combination of fury and determination had taken hold of them. He then walked off, likely to head to the hospital.

"Not even the gods could stop that kid now…" He looked over to see Date breaking out a cigarette.

"With eyes like those, he may be able to do it." Sarutobi knew those kinds of eyes well.

"Yeah. But it'll be the fight of his damn life." Date exhaled the smoke.

* * *

Matt sat on a bench at night. He was in a nice little area he'd discovered after looking around town. Had a great view, flowers and tress in all the right places, and an overall serene atmosphere.

A can of soda was lazily held in Matt's fingers as he absentmindedly gazed at the ground.

"My, what a nice little spot you've found here." Matt looked over to see an unfamiliar man.

"You were that guest Announcer right?" He tried to recall.

"Yup! Warrod Sequen at your assistance!" The tree man smiled and sat next to Matt on the bench.

"Sorry, I didn't buy another drink." He lazily spoke.

"Oh that's fine, trees don't drink soda after all." He stifled a chuckle. "It's a joke."

Matt's eye twitched oddly at the man.

"Anyways, how is your friend?"

"He'll make it out without any permanent damage, but he ain't moving anytime soon." Matt recalled what the doctor told him.

"I see." Warrod nodded. "And you intend to fight tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because that bastard tried to kill my friend." Matt stated, slightly annoyed.

"Even if his power far surpasses yours?"

"Of course."

"Even if a single one of his attacks could take you out?"

"Naturally."

"Even if it means death?" Warrod's tone dropped.

"…Is that even a question?" Matt adamantly chided the old man.

Warrod smirked, "You really are a member of Fairy Tail."

"...Huh?" Matt was legitimately confused.

"Kinda like Precht. Or maybe with a dash of Yuri as well. Could even have elements of myself in there too when I was your age. Granted, I was far better looking back then. But now it wouldn't even be fair how fresh I look compared to you youngsters." He stifled a laugh as Matt noticed what the man had said.

"Wait a minute, you said Precht. As in the second Master…" Matt's eyes widened.

"Heh. Sharp one ain'tcha?" Warrod smirked as he lifted his left robe to reveal a familiar Guild Stamp.

"H-How are you even alive?" Matt looked in awe at the man who's age easily surpassed 100 years.

"Don't know." He shrugged as he lowered the sleeve.

"Why are you here anyways?" The teen questioned the root of the situation.

"Well at first it was for the pay." Matt face faulted at that. "Then it was because you were one of the youngers in my guild. Been a long time since I've seen the current crop." He softly smiled. "And I think Makarov has chosen some truly wonderful children to take in if you're anything to go by."

"You give me too much credit, the geezer took pity on me, that's all." He dismissed the treeman's words.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is what you got in here." He pointed to Matt's heart. "And let me tell you, you shine just as brilliantly as Mavis did when it comes to the guild." Warrod smiled at Matt. "Which is why I know you'll win tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" Matt raised a brow.

Warrod stood up, "Ain't it obvious, a person in Fairy Tail never fights alone. No matter where they are, their comrades spirits are always with them." The old man left with a wave.

"Their spirits are with me… huh?" Matt's hand closed around his heart. A new determination rising within him as he looked out over the city.

* * *

"You can't be serious about this!" Yajima shouted at the King. For the final night, he had invited the Council to enjoy dinner with him.

"King Fiore please reconsider!" Belno pleaded with the man.

"That boy will be slaughtered out there!" Org yelled.

"We admit that we made a mistake with God Serena, but this is going too far!" Leiji admitted with a grimace.

"We can't have the blood of a child on our hands!" Michello chided, trying to avoid potential lawsuit.

"Even I have to admit King Fiore, this is a bit much." Crawford spoke after taking a bite of Lobster.

"It's foolish to go through with this match." Gran Doma nodded as he stroked his beard.

"This is rather dangerous…" Yuri wiped the sweat from his brow with a napkin.

"I can't even believe this conversation is neccessary." Hogg sighed as he played with his food.

King Fiore remained silent for a moment. "I understand your concerns and take them into account." He calmly spoke. "However, your concerns are ultimately pointless."

"What do you mean?" Org scowled.

"This fight will happen whether it's official or not."

"We'll simply detain the two then!" Michello quickly said.

"Useless. Those two would run through the Rune Knights like grass in their attempt to fight. You'll loose your entire army to those two." Toma spoke matter-of-factly.

"Then what do you suggest?" Yajima sighed, realizing the King wouldn't budge on the matter.

"We allow it to happen."

"But you saw what happened to the Coliseum! The entire city will be put in danger!" Belno shouted.

"Which is why the fight won't occur in the Coliseum."

"?" Every member of the council collectively tilted their heads.

"I've already given the order and passed the news to every citizen in the city." The King left his seat and gazed over his city from a window. "The fight between God Serena and Matthew Atlas shall take place in the entire city of Crocus."

"What?!" Org shouted in shock.

"Every irreplaceable belonging from every citizen shall be moved to the vault of the castle. Any replaceable items and damages shall be personally paid for by the Kingdom as compensation. Meanwhile the populace will take refuge in the Coliseum which has been repaired enough to house them all."

"It... does sound like it could work." Chairman Crawford nodded as he bit into a chicken wing.

"The rules tomorrow will be as follows: there are no rules." King Fiore spat out.

"You can't be serious?!" Gran Doma spoke in objection.

"Are you actually going to have them kill each other?!" Belno scolded the King.

"No, because I know Matthew Atlas will win. And I know he won't kill God Serena." The King spoke with absolute confidence.

"How can you be so sure?" Yajima asked with some curiosity, vaguely knowing the King's answer already.

Toma turned to them with a grin. "Because, the hero of my daughter would never loose to a man like that."

* * *

Makarov groaned as he took some bitter medicine to relive his hangover. The entire guild had been partying way too much lately as they read the paper updates to the tournament every day.

As they all expected, Matt had made it to the finals, no small achievement. Normally, they'd just be watching the tournament live. Huge broadcast signals can just simply be linked to another Communication Lacrima as long as it's tuned to the right frequency.

Unfortunately for them...

**Four Days Ago:**

"Move it Ice Pixie! I wanna see the fights already!" Natsu shoved Gray aside as he tried to see the Lacrima better.

"Can it Flame Brain! You just gotta wait for it to start like all of us!" Gray retaliated and pushed Natsu aside.

The pinkette growled and grabbed the nearest object to throw at Gray. And find an object he did.

The unholy punishment Erza delivered to them would scar the duo for life.

Makarov sighed as the replacement Lacrima wouldn't be in stock until after the tournament was over. The old man absentmindedly looked up to see a familiar face at the door to Fairy Tail.

"Well well, if it isn't Yajima." The old man hopped from the bar and approached his old friend. "I take it this is just a projection."

"Indeed, but the matter of my visit will have to take priority over any catching up." His tone made Makarov nod as the two entered his office next.

"So." He sat on a chair, "What's going on?"

"I need you to convenience Matthew Atlas to forfeit the Tournament." He bluntly spoke to Makarov's genuine surprise.

"And can I get a reason why?"

"You have all the reason why here!" He pointed at the newspaper in his hand. The same one everyone had gotten. A big bold headline with an image of the destroyed Coliseum. "Demon vs. Boy: the Final Match Begins Tomorrow!"

Makarov stared at the man for a moment before sighing. "You know I can't convince him."

"The hell you can't! You're his Master! Talk some sense into him before he gets himself killed!" The Councilman roared.

"Yajima, it wouldn't matter if it was official, unofficial or anything in between. Matt will not stop until he's gotten payback. You should know that philosophy better than anyone, after all you were once a part of this guild."

"And that's exactly why I can't bear to see someone like him throw his life away! After Rob, Wraith and even your father! This guild has had far too many of its own senselessly die!"

Makarov understood his friends reasoning and passion all too well. He'd also be lying if he said he didn't fear for Matt's life, however.

"He's a lot like Master Precht y'know. They have that same calculating nature, absurd talent and a fierce desire to protect what they hold dear, regardless of how far they sink to accomplish that." The old man recalled his master fondly.

That seemed to silence Yajima as he too recalled Master Precht. Neither had seen the man in many decades now, but they still fondly recalled the good ol' days.

"And if Master was anything." Yajima started.

"It was unbelievably stubborn about what he wished to do." Makarov finished.

The Councilman sighed as he stood.

"It seems as though you and I can no longer keep the younger generation constantly safe. The world is moving too fast for us these days." Yajima bitterly smiled.

"Indeed, but we must have faith they can stand on their own feet when the time comes." The Guild Master smirked.

Yajima summoned a wooden box and placed it on the table of the office.

"What is that?" Makarov questioned.

"Consider it a victory gift."

The Master raised a brow, "But he hasn't won yet."

"Why Makky, don't you remember what Rob used to say? A Fairy Tail mage only truly loses when they lose themselves." A smirk was on the old man's face as he faded away.

Makarov looked at the spot Yajima stood in for a moment before smiling.

"Of course, how could I forget that Hardass' favorite excuse for when he lost at Poker."

* * *

Matt stood in the center of town. It was currently around noon based on how the sun was directly overhead. He received word of what the final day's plans were shortly after Warrod had left.

He scowled as God Serena approached him from the opposite end with his usual attitude.

The pair stood in absolute silence as not even the wind dared to intrude on these two. It was as if time itself stood still, threatening to ensnare the two in a never-ending stalemate.

"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the final day of the Grand Wizard Tournament!" King Fiore spoke to a dead crowd.

From various monitors all across the continent, people watched the coming fight.

"And as usual I am Chapati Lola and Councilman Yajima shall be my co-announcer." The man was actually quite serious for once, even he couldn't understate the gravity of the current situation.

"While I am the guest Announcer today!" The King spoke with a smile. "Now, the rules are simple… there are none!"

"What?!" The collective of Fairy Tail yelled as they huddled together in the Guild Hall. Yajima had given them both a new Lacrima and a projecter to display the feed on a much larger screen.

"Gramps is that even fair?!" Natsu yelled at him.

"It's not a matter of "fair" or "unfair" Natsu." He grimly spoke. "Look at their eyes."

Matt's cold ire and Serena's bloodthirsty grin took the guild off-guard.

"This is a blood match." Makarov darkly spoke. "Neither man intends to let the other walk away without a scratch." He old man opted to leave out the "if at all" part to that.

"Is there… anything we can do?" Erza asked uncertainly.

"Hope. All we can do is hope." Makarov looked at the screen and everyone else followed suit.

"Now then, are the combatants ready?"

No words were spoken or even neccessary now. Only a mutual desire to hurt the other was all that was present.

God Serena's eyes had already taken the familiar colors of yesterday as his smile twisted upwards at an inhuman angle.

Matt popped his knuckles, oddly getting two repeating sounds from the same knuckles, clenched his fists and widened his stance.

Time stood still for everyone, until…

"Begin!"

**Man, aren't I a stinker? Welcome back to yet another chapter! Things have certainly ramped up haven't they?**

**Xanxo vs Matt was a very fun fight to write for. From the CQC in the beginning to the dogfight it became, it was just a joy to put those thoughts to writing. We also saw Winged Kuriboh debut! His power is different from Kuriboh's before anyone asks, and we shall see it next time. Breaker also got his debut this chapter. And as usual, his normally okay effect is pretty damn busted in this universe.**

**Also as a side note: the reason why Matt didn't actually have any post-traumatic flashbacks against Xanxo is quite simple: Xanxo felt pain. Matt's mental image of the monster feels no pain and is unstoppable. The second he made Xanxo bleed and keep bleeding is when all the doubts went out the window. I legitimately couldn't find a good spot to squeeze this idea in since that fight's pace is so fast, so I'm having to make due here. I'll definitely try and do better with this stuff down the line.**

**Jura vs Serena was just a complete one-sided massacre. Serena just snapped as bloodlust overtook him. So, before anyone asks, no, he only has 4 Lacrima right now. Do remember, this is only x777, a full 15 years before he fights against the Guild in Alvarez. Also, yes, half of his current ones are just headcanon ones based on... I dunno, what I think would be fun to write with creatively.**

**Makarov and Yajima had a pretty serious discussion. I wanted to use a discussion about Matthew's safety and wellbeing to kinda discuss how these two have seen a lot of close friends and loved ones die in the guild. I'll definitely periodically tap back into this as the others from this group pop up, but I kinda wanted to sew the seeds in your minds of how these kinds of things would affect the old generation** **since I feel it's underutilized in the story.**

**Next time, it's God vs Man in a desperate struggle as this arc closes. Strap in folks, it will be a wild one as Matt pulls out all the stops to try and win. And who knows, maybe I'm keeping a new idea for Serena up my sleeve until next chapter too. Maybe I've already shown off a ploy that will mark the turning point of the battle. Guess you'll have to wait and find out.**

**Also this chapter will mark this story passing the 100k word mark, holy shit. You crazy bastards have stuck around for over a novel's worth of my mediocre writing. You keep being you... and get some help... and better taste.**

**Now if you'll excuse me, I just got DMC5 and a couple other games that are currently calling for me.**

**Until next time, I bid you all adieu!**


	14. Coronation

**Hello there strangah's. Got some responses to comments in stock.**

**ArchivesofaDreamer: **Oh you're absolutely right, it wasn't the best call in the extreme long run. However there are some pretty blatant factoids that explain Matt's thought process. Firsty: he could honestly not give any less of a shit about money. The amount he makes from game tournaments is ludicrous since, as mentioned, the 90% of the non-magic population basically fuel the world's economy. This is actually based on how disgustinly rich pro poker players can get. Secondly: Matt _really_ didn't want to add hotel management to his already filled plate. So instead of him running it, it's just easier for him to have the experienced person do that job for him. Sorry not sorry if that logic isn't sound enough, but Matt is a very tired boi... who's only gonna get _much _more tired as this series goes on.

**Raidentensho: **Y'know, I've never actually read or watched Black Jack, might have to look into that later. As for the whole merchandise aspect, that'll take a bit to get into swing, so probably expect that kind of stuff after this arc. Also yeah, Junk monsters will appear, Synchro just won't for a while. I already know exactly when I'm gonna introduce it so don't worry, it's just a ways down.

**Eheheheh, thank yah for waitin' strangah', here's the merchandise.**

"Begin!"

"Purgatory Dr-" God Serena breathed in deep to unleash a Breath attack, but when Matt immediately disappeared from his sight, he stopped. Before he could even look down, Matt had kicked him square in the jaw, sending him upwards.

The teen quickly recovered and jumped up, unleashing a savage assault of punches to the eccentric man's face. All the while he yelled in fury and he hit as hard and fast as he could. After being satisfied for now, he threw a brutal uppercut and sent Serena flying into the ground.

When Matt landed, he immediately started running and jumped, driving his knee into the laid out form of his foe. God Serena immediately coughed up blood and bile as the ground beneath him split. Without missing a beat, Matt threw another series of punches with nothing but the intent to turn the man in front of him into Swiss Cheese.

"Unbelievable! Matt is brutalizing God Serena from the get go!" Chapati yelled with his microphone in hand.

"I've never seen him fight like that." Macao looked on with his eyes wide from shock.

"Who cares?! He's like a fighting machine!" Natsu yelled in pure excitement.

As Matt practically attempted to punch through God Serena's head, he noticed the look of his eyes. He suddenly ceased his assault and jumped back a fair distance.

"What's the deal? Why'd he stop?" Wakaba scratched his head.

"Something must've spooked him." Reedus reasoned.

"Matt get spooked? Whoever this guy is, I get bad vibes from him…" The bluenette spoke grimly.

Matt stood still, ready for Serena's next move. The Pergrande resident stood, wiped his mouth of the blood and spat out the collected fluid from his mouth.

"Not bad worm." God Serena cracked his neck. "But those will be the only hits you get in." He smiled widely. "Cavern Dragon's Rapture!"

"Did he just say what I think he said?!" Gray exclaimed in shock.

God Serena smacked his hands into the ground, causing the earth to split and shoot up in massive chunks.

Before he attacked, he looked around for his opponent. However when he couldn't find Matt, he shrugged and decided to just blow up everything. He clapped his hands together and was about to unleash his attack.

"Caladbolg II." God Serena turned to find Matt with three of the named weapon drawn in his bow. The Dragon Slayer couldn't even start his counter when all three were unleashed on him. He was pushed back by all three modified sword-arrows before they all simultaneously exploded, causing a massive fireball to engulf to area.

"That's how it's done!" Macao cheered at the sight.

Matt landed on the ground and looked ahead to the fiery hell that he'd created. After a moment, all the fire was sucked into a point he couldn't see. Then the sounds of footsteps filled the empty streets of the capital.

'It's weird.' Matt saw God Serena approach. 'I should be absolutely terrified of this guy.' The older man had his shirt torn and burn marks on his skin. 'But I don't feel a damn thing.' He gave the teen a slasher smile. 'It's honestly kinda freaking me out.'

"Forest Dragon's Deep Emergence!" God Serena smashed his hands into the ground, causing massive trees to shoot from the ground like vines in Matt's direction. While dodging the flying wood, Matt thought out his next move. Once the wood had settled, the two were standing atop a massive tree trunk.

Matt reached into his deck and threw out two cards. From them, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl emerged.

The more perverted men of the crowd immediately got excited about Dark Magician Girl. Their wives and girlfriends immediately reprimanded them.

Matt gave his orders via subtle gestures he'd worked out with his spirits. Two fast blinks meant set up traps while an extended rub of the nose meant attack without mercy. Which is what Matt gave to the two respectively. His Spirits nodded and began the plan.

Dark Magician Girl shot scatter shots as Serena who simply guarded the damage. Fortunately this wasn't meant to damage him, Dark Magician used the distraction to run off to an unseen area.

Matt summoned multiple swords above his head and launched them at God Serena, laying down more suppressing fire.

"A God such as myself takes no damage from these weak attacks!" He yelled and unleashed a wave of power, pushing DMG and Matt back. "Electrocution Dragon's Primordial Smite!" God Serena called down a colossal bolt of lightning.

"Rho Aias!" Matt called forth the flower-like shield. The tree beneath him cracked and was scorched from the sheer heat of the lightning. The first three petals were instantly broken. Matt gripped his raised arm tighter as he channeled more magic into it. Another two petals were shattered as the sleeve of Matt's raised arm was torn apart. His feet sunk into the wood he stood on as much more of the surrounding lumber was reduced to sawdust from the sheer force.

"He's actually stopping it…" God Serena spoke in mild disbelief.

Eventually the attack ceased, with five of its seven layers obliterated. Matt lowered his arm and breathed heavily, blood dripped from the limb freely and sweat drenched his face.

"This God Serena shall give you credit. No one has survived that attack, let alone block it with a defensive magic." He smile contained an edge of bitterness to it. "However, can you repeat that once more?" His eyes shined brightly as he breathed deep.

Matt clicked his tongue and prepared himself once again for an all-out defense.

""Purgatory Dragon's!/Rho!""

""Hellfire Blaze!/Aias!""

A truly massive stream of indescribably hot flames left God Serena's mouth as Matt once again raised his strongest defense. For what fire wasn't blocked, everything else in its path was immediately turned to ash.

'These flames are even hotter than Xanxo's concentrated ones?!' Matt internally screamed as the heat was unbearable. He could literally feel the saliva in his mouth evaporating from the heat and any dead skin cells immediately turn to ash.

Four of the petals fell without much effort. Another two fell shortly afterwards as this attack was far stronger than the previous one, which in and of itself was immensely powerful.

Rho Aias began to crack, however despite holding out against the attack, an unseen event occurred. What happens when you take hundreds of pounds of sawdust created from massive force and suddenly ignite it all?

Even despite beating another of God Serena's immensely powerful spells, an unbelievably colossal dust explosion covered the area. Even God Serena had to shield himself from it.

Opting to not devour the flames to unquestionably secure the cremation of his opponent. Once they died down, all that he could see were ashes of a truly sizable chunk of the surrounding area. The entire forest he had created was burnt to cinders.

"And that's what happens when you cross God." He smirked and laughed before the carnage.

Fariy Tail, and everyone else watching, couldn't believe what had just happened. They all looked on in shock and horror, except for Makarov. The old man scowled, not in anger, but in the manner one takes when they're trying to look at something better.

"Oh? What's that? A free sundae? Or perhaps unlimited visits from annoying bastards preaching about their concept of God to you?" God Serena turned in shock to see Matt, not just completely fine, but fully rejuvenated as well.

"What?!" He shouted in disbelief.

"Oh? You mean my current appearance?" Matt teased before pointing behind him. "All thanks to his guy."

"Time." The small clock-shaped creature cried as the floated above Matt's head.

"Yes yes, you are indeed a MAD SCIENTIST." The teen sighed.

"Time."

"Stop calling me a son of a bitch!" He chided the clock whose smug aura mocked him.

God Serena growled in anger.

"Oh? You probably mean how I look no different to how I did at the start of thus shindig. Pretty simple really." Matt tried to pop his knuckles but no sound came out.

The Pergrande native got the implication though.

"Time Sync. Time Wizard basically copied myself at a point in time and when I ordered it, he sent me back to any instance of that copied time. Unfortunately this little guy can only be called out once a month at my current level." He shrugged before glaring at God Serena. "But I won't need it again. I know for a fact I can beat you God Serena."

"Hoh?" The veins on his head raged in fury. "Then show me!" He once again charged another attack as Time Wizard was dispelled.

"Is he charging another one of those high-level attacks from earlier?!" Macao shouted, completely floored by God Serena's magic reserves.

"Why the hell ain't he dodging?!" Gray shouted at the projection.

"Purgatory Dragon's Infernal Fury!!" He placed his hands in front of him and let out a massive beam of concentrated magic. The water around it evaporated from the pure heat it emitted.

Matt however, just stood motionless.

"Die you ant!" God Serena smiled in sadistic glee.

"How about you learn some manners. Perhaps you'd be your best teacher." Matt smirked as just before the attack hit him, it was sucked into a cylinder.

God Serena couldn't even believe what had just happened.

"Now then, allow me to graciously return your gift Mr. God!" Matt swiped his arm out as the attack launched at himself was now heading at God Serena at twice it's original power. "Magic Cylinder! A unique spell my Dark Magician can use. Normally it can only launch an attack back at its regular power, but with my Dark Magician Girl's help, it's returned power is doubled!!"

Serena was consumed by his own attack as the beam dragged him across the ground. Scorching the earth and cleaving into the distant mountains with ease.

"Can't he eat fire? Why isn't he doing that?" Wakaba scratched his head.

"Dragon Slayers can't eat their own magic!" Natsu excitedly shouted, beyond ecstatic that his talk with his Magic to Matt would help him like this.

The attack eventually died down as God Serena was on the floor, his skin sizzling to a degree.

"Gotta say, you dug your own grave there pal. Not noticing my other Magician run off to help her teacher when you fired that Lightning Bolt at me really bit you in the ass." Matt slowly approached God Serena's prone form. Dragon Slayers can recharge their magic all they want, but physical damage can't be fixed by merely eating their own element.

God Serena twitched and slowly stood up. His torso now exposed as his shirt was completely destroyed.

"God will not fall to his own attack!" He screamed as he stood.

"It seems God Serena is far from done now!" Chapati screamed as he wiped the constant stream of nervous sweat from his brow.

"This fight has only just finished it's opening. Now those two shall show off what they can really do." Yajima declared as his gaze was tightly focused on the screen.

"Now then, how about I show off a bit here." Matt smirked as Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl appeared beside him. He raised his arm as a golden glow shined from a card in his hand. "Ritual Summon!" Dark Magician and his student were sucked into the card, more than meeting the requirement for the next Monster. "Join the stage! Magician of Black Chaos!"

A Magician in tight, black garments spun his staff and stood in front of Matt.

"I'm not done yet!" Dark Magician once again came out along with a Swordsman in Purple Armor, Buster Blader. "Fusion Summon!" Another golden shine from the card in Matt's hand lit the area. "Come to my side! Dark Paladin!" A Monster similar in appearance to Dark Magician only with a green and yellow highlight aesthetic to his garments.

"Even after all of this you still had tricks up your sleeve." God Serena bitterly smiled.

"Damn straight I did. Unlike you I prefer to keep my trump cards hidden until I can assure victory with them." Matt chided his opponent.

"Like it matters! All the monsters in the world won't help you-" God Serena was struck by Dark Paladin, causing his ribs to audibly break, and was sent flying into a building.

The audience looked in beyond shocked at this point.

"You talk too much you annoying bastard." Matt's expression turned very frightening as God Serena stood, coughing up blood. "Dark Paladin inflicts triple damage on anything even remotely relating to dragons." God Serena's eyes resembled saucers at that statement.

"Ah yeah! Kick his ass Matt!" Gray yelled encouragement.

"Now then, you proclaim yourself to be god?" Matt slowly walked forward. "No. You aren't even close to a god." Serena stood shakily. "You claim that you are the strongest?" Matt popped his neck. "No. You just haven't been shown your place yet." The teen stood in front of Serena, as if towering over him. "Allow me to show you what the true wrath of a god feels like mongrel."

God Serena's hands bled from how hard they were clutched. "You will feel my wra-" A powerful uppercut shut him up.

As he was in the air, Chaos struck him was a powerful blast of magic, colliding right into this chest. Serena rolled midair to land on his feet and shot out a powerful breath of pure fire. The attack was stopped via Spellbinding Circle, another trap Dark Magician had placed.

Before he could attack, Dark Paladin struck God Serena through a series of buildings, immediately pursuing him afterwards. Thick trees shot out at Dark Paladin, but he easily sliced through them.

'He can eat earth, but he likely sees consuming the ground he walks on as an insult. Same probably goes for trees. Which means his only two remaining options are Lightning and Fire. The former isn't appearing any time soon, especially since Summoned Skull isn't being brought out. Meaning his only refueling option is fire.' Matt scowled as he watched the action go on, Dark Chaos stood by his side.

Serena flew into the air out of a thick dust cloud and shot out spears of Lightning which were all dodged by Dark Paladin. He then shot out a series of fireballs from his mouth. Paladin twirled his bladed staff and snuffed out the flames as Serena punched him to the ground.

'Even with a disadvantage he can still fight like this.' Matt scowled as he raised another two cards. 'I suppose some backup would be useful.'

"Die!" Serena caused the rubble he'd lifted from the ground to his side to shoot out at Paladin who was still recovering from that punch. However it was all sliced apart in the blink of an eye. A shield smashed itself into Serena's face, causing his nose to break and his body to be returned to the ground.

This person wore navy blue armor with gold highlights, their face being the only exposed skin. Their long red hair was in a ponytail sticking out the back of their helmet and they clutched a sword and shield in each hand.

'Dark Paladin, Magician of Black Chaos and Black Luster Solider.' Matt sighed as slight sweat formed on his brow. 'Certainly a challenge keeping three level eights out.' He bitterly smirked, still proud of his progress.

God Serena kicked up to his feet and popped his nose back into place, blood oozed down from the facial detail and coated his mouth.

"Another fool that defies God I see!" He immediately charged the two, fire at the tips of his fingers. "Purgatory Dragon's Scorching Cleave!" Swinging his arms, the ten white-hot streaks of fire were sent at the duo of monsters, only for the attack to be blocked by Black Chaos shooting the ground from beneath Serena, causing the spell to loose its target.

"God Serena is being overwhelmed by Matt's spirits!" Chapati cried in joy as God Serena lay in the rubble, struggling to stand. The attack Matt shot back at him being one of his near full power.

Serena struggled to stand as the trio of spirits cautiously awaited his next move or their next order.

As his vision gained black dots, a familiar voice rang in his head. Over and over it spoke the same words to him, causing the man to tense.

'Something isn't right.' Matt scowled as he watched the form of Serena from a distance.

Serena's hands oozed blood as he clenched his fists so hard the tendons threatened to pop through the skin. His rage hit an unbridled boiling point.

"Enough!!" Serena's power exploded tremendously. Scales formed on his body as his Magic Power skyrocketed to three times what it was at its peak.

'Is this Dragon Force?!' Matt panicked internally. That ability brought a Dragon Slayer's power to its absolute peak. In the hands of an average fighter is was the weapon to turn the tides. To God Serena? It was like giving him unlimited access to a massive stockpile of Nuclear Weapons. 'This is bad. If it lasts until he's out cold then I gotta think fast.'

The three Duel Monsters faced down the now once again standing Serena. Tension was palpable to everyone watching and especially Matt who oddly flexed his fingers to a shadowy figure behind him.

God Serena charged and threw a punch that was blocked by Soldier's shield. He used his other hand to grab the item and threw the monster into the wall, this opened his back to attack. Serena ducked beneath the swing and jumped up, kicking Paladin in the head and dodging the Magician's blast of magic.

He caught Black Luster Soldier's blade in one hand and stopped Dark Paladin's with his foot. Magician of Black Chaos then fired a large sphere of magic at him, hitting him square in the torso and sending him flying.

Launching himself with his flames, God Serena immediately headed back and drove his foot into Black Chaos' gut, causing the Spirit to go flying. Black Luster Solider threw their shield at God Serena, who caught it with his free hand. Unfortunately for him, this was a distraction as Dark Paladin unleashed a massive wave of power that did enough damage to the man to make him yell in pain. The nearby area was demolished as many more waves shot out to damage the Dragon Slayer even further.

Being smashed into a wall, Serena immediately shot up to his feet and launched a fireball over twice the size of the breath attack Matt blocked. Recovering their shield, Black Luster Solider chose to guard the attack head-on.

"God Serena's sudden boost of power is proving to challenge even Matt's strongest summons!" Chapati looked on in evident worry.

Yajima scowled as he too was getting worried for Matt's odds of surviving, let alone winning.

The attack, while blocked completely, demolished Black Luster Solider's armor. Revealing the feminine form of the monster. She was shortly de-summoned afterwards. Thankfully her sacrifice gave Dark Paladin and Magician of Black Chaos enough time to perform a massive Unison Raid attack they fired at God Serena.

"Purgatory Dragon's Hellfire Blaze!" The familiar breath attack was easily five times as strong as it was before. With little resistance it ate through the impressively strong attack and collided into the two Spirits, immediately causing them to de-summon.

God Serena breathed heavily as the sounds of footsteps made him turn his gaze to Matt. The physical damage of the fight was evident from his blood-soaked hands, burned skin and heavy breathing.

"Yo. Good to see you're in poor health." He smirked at the older man. His expression quickly turned into a serious one. "I'm impressed you managed to trigger Dragon Force, but…" Countles swords began raising from the ground, making a parallel line around Matt and the Dragon Slayer. "How will your incredible offense stack up against this?"

"Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The blades exploded into a sea of pink-colored flakes. God Serena, underestimating the attack took it head on.

"He's really pulling out all the stops if that move is getting use." Cana looked on, worry clear on her face.

"I'll say, even Gildarts had a rough time with that move." Macao spoke, clearly captivated by the fight.

To the Pergrandian's shock, the second he took the wave head-on and felt them on his body, he realized his mistake. The feeling of his body being thrown into a shredder was what he would describe the sensation of the attack as.

"Cavern Dragon's Mighty Gaea!" He shouted, causing massive pillars of stone to rise from the ground. Using them, he escaped the swarm, covered in numerous cuts.

"Useless." Matt coldly stated as the petals ate through the rock like it was nothing. God Serena jumped up, dodging the swipe of the attack.

"He's done for!" Gray cheered, realizing what Matt's next play was.

The petals swarmed all around God Serena, encasing him in a sphere of them.

"Begone!" Matt closed his hand as the petals collapsed into themselves.

Unfortunately, dragon scales were far stronger than Matt had realized. Serena managed to survive the assault and broke through the loose wall of sword-petals, charging right for Matt.

The teen clicked his tongue and backflipped away, narrowly dodging a series of punches thrown at him.

Sliding on the ground, Matt summoned his signature blades and charged at the man. Fist meeting blade as the duo traded blows. Each blade only managing a couple of punches before shattering. Matt quickly and seamlessly summoned new ones without a beat being missed.

Deciding this was going nowhere, Matt changed his plans and started aiming for the softer flesh not covered by scales. The Pergrande native uncaring for such things as he kept up his relentless assault.

After parrying Serena's punches, Matt dropped his blades and gripped the man's head before driving his knee into the slayer's gut, knocking the wind out of him.

With Serena now unable to breathe temporarily, Matt then sent his heel into the man's chin, knocking him upwards. A pivot of the hips and a step back allowed him to drive the same foot into Serena's gut again, knocking him back.

Bringing out his bow, Matt launched a series of sword-arrows at him. A massive dust cloud consuming the area. Deciding to not stop, Matt shot out dozens of swords at Serena. The sounds of clanging and shattering iron made the teen scowl as a massive boulder was in between him and Serena.

Without warning, Serena flew at Matt as the teen barely managed to guard the punch with a blade, the ground shattering beneath him. Matt's bones cried in agony as they threatened to break apart from the force.

Tilting his body, Matt drove the guard and pommel of the blade into Serena's face. As the man was stunned, the teen fully twisted himself and summoned a blade so massive it was better off being called a hunk of iron. With gravity as his ally, Matt hit Serena with the greatsword.

But the psuedo god still persisted. Serena melted the blade with his hand which now thoroughly drenched his entire arm in blood. Leaping at Matt like a hunter, the man went for a punch to cave the teen's head in.

Matt barely bent back to dodge and using his hands, pushed himself up. His legs and hands locked Serena's arm into place and the man was twisted by the teen to land on the ground. Without even asking if the man wanted mercy, Matt broke Serena's arm and tore the muscles with the armbar.

"GAAAAAAH" Serena roared in agony as one arm was rendered entirely useless now. The man bit his lip hard and used his other hand to trap Matt in place. With immense strength, he stood and smashed Matt into a wall over and over again, the teen's spine being a battering ram for the Pergrandian.

The wall gave as Matt was chucked into the building. Not wasting an opportunity, Serena charged up a fireball, only to be interrupted as Gearfried smashed his weapon into the man's gut and sending him into his own building.

Matt breathed heavily as Winged Kuriboh came out and started healing his wounds. While not able to reverse a fully minute of damage almost instantly like his brother, this Kuriboh could heal gradually like a normal healing spell as long as mana was available.

'Son of a bitch is tough. Even with a busted arm he doesn't give up.' Matt wiped the trail of blood from the corner of his mouth. He closed his eyes and sensed for some things. 'Alright, so I got a couple traps leftover to use. Problem is those damn scales being so resilient.'

Once he was good to go, the teen stood with the wall as support.

'If I can lure him to that certain spot, I could have the chance I need to win.' With that plan decided on, Matt felt a familiar pull on his supply of magic power. 'Looks like Gearfried is getting serious too.' He smirked as he looked down at his deck. 'Well as they say.' He drew a pair of cards. 'If you can't beat em'.'

Gearfried parried a blow from Serena and jumped over him, swinging at the man's head. Even though he dodged, some of his hair was still cleaved off by the attack. Serena growled and went for an attack, only to be kicked through a statue of some dude on a horse.

The King should have been mad that a historical landmark was just reduced to rubble, however his excitement of Matt's comeback far overshadowed it.

"Round three asshole." Matt smirked as Buster Blader charged Serena. Though not as potent as Dark Paladin, his abilities at Dragon Slaying were nothing to scoff at. The scales on Serena's arm cracked as he blocked the attack.

"!" In his moment of shock, he failed to notice the form of Elemental Hero Neos smashing his fist into the man's back. No sounds cane from Serena as his body almost turned into a folding chair from how hard he bent.

With this opportunity, Matt delivered a teeth-shattering kick to the man's jaw, knocking him back a good distance. The teen landed and summoned his blades. Gearfried, Buster Blader and Neos stood at his side, ready for the next assault.

Serena shakily stood, blood coating his mouth as he growled in primal fury.

"Cavern Dragon's Insipid Spawn!" As the spell finished, the earth around Serena morphed and took a trio of forms. Three stone dragons the size of buildings stood with Serena, roaring at their foes.

"Since when can Dragon Slayer's do that?!" Natsu cried in a desire to fight his own magic-summoned fire dragons.

However the surprises weren't done yet as Serena picked up a rock from the ground and began eating it.

'Oh shit...' Matt cursed as the man in front of him began to throw his pride away for victory.

"Making a God such as I eat lowly dirt." His eyes coated themselves in shadow as he finished eating. "Unforgivable." The muscles in his destroyed arm surged. "Unforgivable!" Earth Dragon Slayers could fix their broken bodies by eating their element. The element with things the body is made of. "UNFORGIVABLE!!!"

With speed never-before-seen, Serena launched himself at Matt. Barely having even a half-second to react, the Fairy Tail mage summoned the axe-sword as a shield. Serena then launched Matt and himself far away from where his spirits now had to fight their own battle.

Matt's spine broke through countless walls as Serena propelled them like a jet across the city. It was only when Matt had grown used to the pain did he launch a counterattack. Blades descended down above Serena like heavenly wrath, piercing into the softer parts of the man's flesh.

Withstanding the pain, Serena grabbed the blade and threw it, along with Matt, down the street. Spinning midair, Matt dug the weapon into the ground and used it to slow himself to an eventually stop, his form perched atop it.

'At this point, I'll have to drain myself dry if I wanna win.' Deciding on what needed to be done, the familiar swords rose from the ground. 'Twice in a day is gonna suck, but my options are limited.'

"Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi." The familiar flood of silver petals overtook the street.

Serena shot up pillars of earth to block the flow, but was taken aback when they wrapped around the defense. Quickly thinking, the man jumped up and kicked off the highest rock, gaining some distance.

"Too late." Serena's eyes resembled saucers as he saw Matt surfing atop a stream of the petals, using the sword as a surfboard to protect himself.

Before he could register what the threat entailed, a building uprooted and thrown by the petals smashed into Serena. The man was launched back just where Matt wanted him.

As he recovered, Serena gazed up in shock as he was surrounded on all sides by a thousand knives. Without warning, they all fired at him at lightning speed. He threw up his arms in a guard as he cried in pain. His body becoming a living pincushion. Serena winced as he pulled out the knife impaled in his cheek and out his mouth.

The scales had managed to deflect the knives aimed at his vitals, but that didn't stop some from piercing clean through parts of his limbs.

'If I can't break his bones to dust, then I'll bleed him dry.' Matt coldly remarked as he commenced his onslaught.

Serena, after digging the knives nailing his feet to the ground, dodged the storm of petals. Matt uprooted the very earth itself to throw at the man. A series of lightning and fire spells shattering and cleaved the cobblestone apart.

"This match is still anyone's game!" Chapati was burning through boxes of tissues at the rate he was wiping his nervous sweat away.

With extreme precision and timing, Serena narrowly dodged Matt's sped up Petals. The lack of damage using the high-maintenance spell was starting to get to Matt as blood started leaking from his nose.

Serena dare not even smirk as he fully focused on dodging the attacks. What he failed to notice, is that he was already in Matt's web. Quite literally in fact.

From a combination of Illusions, adrenaline and tunnel vision, Serena failed to notice the massive web of stationary petals all around him. It was too late as they all collapsed and condensed on the man.

Matt fell to a knee as he dispelled the petals. Revealing the barely standing Serena absolutely covered in blood.

"This guy is insane!" Macao bit into his nails as he watched on.

"He managed to survive that?!" Cana was in clear shock. Even her father had to actually put some effort into countering it, but this guy just took it.

God Serena huffed and puffed as he glared at the teen in a similar level of exhaustion himself.

'Dragon Force is bullshit.' Matt swore in frustration. He still had one final play left, the only problem was actually getting to it. 'I doubt I could make the trip on my own... but if he could get us both there...' Matt formulated some method to reach the conclusion of the battle.

And his only option was simple.

"What's wrong you fake god? Getting as exhausted as us mere mortals? Don't worry, all guys have that performance issue. Well, not me, but I'm already better than you at that, so it doesn't matter."

Piss him the fuck off.

Serena growled as he summoned spears of lightning and shot them at Matt. Dodging them, Matt summoned his own weapons and shot them at Serena. The man dodged and charged at Matt. Deciding to conserve stamina, the teen opted to parry the punches.

As Matt felt a tug of his magic leave, he grabbed the wrist of Serena and threw him onto the ground. This was used as an opening when Neos smashed his foot into the Slayer's gut. Matt then tossed him into the air for Buster Blader to spike the man into the ground.

The spirits flanked Matt as he saw the rumbling of dragons shaking the ground had also stopped.

'So Gearfried took them all on to have the others assist me. Heh, crazy bastard.' Thanks to his sacrifice, Matt now had much needed backup and more importantly: time to think.

The spirits nodded at Matt's silent orders and charged the self-proclaimed God. Serena flipped back to avoid the blade that hurt like hell and narrowly moved his head from being reduced to meat from a punch.

Buster Blader swung his sword down and smashed the ground. As misfortune would have it, the blade was stuck in the already weak earth.

Capitalizing, Serena dug his foot into the blade and kicked the swordsman. With incredible skill, he carried the swordsman with his foot and smashed him into Neos. The duo was sent at a building. Bad luck continued as Serena used the metal of Blader's armor to zip over to the pair immediately.

"Purgatory Dragon's Secret Art: Scarlet Star!" A massive sphere of fire was chucked at the duo of spirits, instantly desummoning them.

"Overedge!"

Serena barely had time to put up an arm to block the elongated blade Matt drove down. Taking a hand off the blade, Matt summoned another and began hammering down the overedge into his foe's arm.

The blade fractured as Matt smashed it into the other like a hammer. As the blade split in two, Matt twirled the handle and used magic to reinforce it. This time, the blade finally broke past the scales and dug into Serena's arm.

He cried in pain as Matt yanked the blade back, pulling Serena directly into a viscous kick that dislocated his jaw. Without mercy, Matt manipulated his magic power to coat the blade with unstable energy. It became akin to a chainsaw as he pulled it out of the man's arm. The sickening sounds of metal tearing apart bone echoed in the empty streets as Matt pivoted his hips and kicked the man up.

Summoning his bow with his free hand, Matt drew the blade back and fired it directly into Serena's gut. Launching the man far and into the ground. Breathing heavily, Matt walked over to where the body was.

Serena was laying prone on the ground, barely moving due to breating. Matt walked around to a peculiar direction and was about to summon another sword.

"Well "God" you certainly put up a struggle, but in the end all you were was hot air." A chuckle left his lips, "Who knows maybe now they'll start calling me "God" after this. Goodness knows you aren't strong enough to warrant that title."

As expected, Matt's plan worked as he saw the aura of pure bloodlust from Serena. Also as expected, it was gonna hurt like hell to pay off.

Without warning, God Serena leapt up and grabbed Matt by the face. Using fire as propulsion, he dragged the teen across the ground and chucked him through a series of buildings. He landed on a roof in a lower section of the city. His head profusely leaking blood down the side. Matt also clutched his dislocated shoulder in pain.

God Serena leapt down at the teen who flipped him off the roof with his legs. Fortunately for the Dragon Slayer, barrels broke his long fall. To his confusion though, Matt looked down at him with a smirk. When the ground started moving spontaneously, God Serena's cheeks bulged as he tried not to vomit all his stomach's contents.

'Looks like those details Winged Kuriboh got me were just as good as I'd hoped they'd be.'

"What's going on? Why does he look like he's about to vomit?" Erza tilted her head.

"Dragon Slayer's get really bad motion sickness…" Natsu embarrassingly admitted.

'This guy has at least four Dragon Slayer Magics. Likely from Lacrima. So the effect should be four times worse, or at the very least as bad as Natsu gets.' He hopped to the ground and faced the rolling trap his opponent was on.

Matt breathed deep and charged at the carriage. He grabbed a nearby Lacrima from a magic store as he ran. Once within range Matt threw the Lacrima, causing it to erupt in a pillar of ice that shot the ride into the air. Then he threw a knife behind him at the magic store. And with a jump, he used the force of exploding Lacrima to launch himself above God Serena in a borderline-suicidal strategy.

"This is the end!" He summoned a sword and Baby Dragon. The dragon chucked him at the Dragon Slayer before disappearing. In mid air, he delivered a brutal slash to God Serena. A massive cut that went from hip to collar had a large spurt of blood erupt from it. The scales on his body finally faded, but not the life in his eyes.

As Matt was now beneath him, he shot a fireball at the teen which he couldn't dodge. A large explosion went high when contact with the ground was made.

"Even with that massive wound, God Serena persists!" Chapati couldn't believe his eyes, hell, no one could.

The King this entire time has been silent, his focus entirely on the fight.

God Serena collided into the ground, too tired to land on his feet. He didn't appreciate that a pile of rubble broke his fall, but he'd deal with it for now. Slowly the man stood, blood leaked from his body rapidly. His breaths were in and out very quickly. He looked around for Matt, hoping the teen had been turned to ashes for good this time.

The slight movement of the rubble beneath him caused the man to look down. Matt erupted from the ground and slashed God Serena across the face with Kanshou. The wound was deep and bled profusely, without question remaining a permanent scar.

He backed away from the man with unsteady footfalls. His jacket had the back burnt off and the skin was painfully red.

"Gahhh!" God Serena screamed in pain, clutching his face.

'Damn. Here I was hoping that'd take him out for good.' Matt bitterly laughed as his vision gained some dark spots and he staggered. His absolute limit fast approaching.

"You... YOU DAMN ANT!!" God Serena roared as he summoned a massive boulder that smashed into Matt. The Fairy Tail Mage smashed into a nearby wall and coughed up a large amount of blood. The Pergrande Mage continued to wail in pain as Matt weakly and with indescribable pain, moved his broken arm to his waist and pulled out Kuriboh.

The small furball healed Matt and disappeared. Though unfortunately, the process of simply moving his arm took too long, that meant his body was in a state where most of his bones were cracked instead of broken. This did however mean that movement was possible.

Matt, with herculean effort, stood up once again.

"Both of these men are at the end of their rope!" Chapati furiously rubbed the sweat off his head.

"The next attack will decide this." Makarov spoke for the first time as his gaze sharpened.

"I'll give you credit. No one has ever come close to pushing this God Serena so far. But your battle ends here!" He swung his arm to the side. "One man alone can not hope to defeat me! Your hubris shall he your undoing!"

"One man eh?" Matt absentmindedly spoke.

"Ain't it obvious, a person in Fairy Tail never fights alone. No matter where they are, their comrades spirits are always with them." Matt recalled the tree-man's words with a smirk.

"I see. I get it now old man." Matt weakly smirked as he coughed up some blood.

"What are you babbling about over there?" God Serena demanded of the teen.

"You're right, I can't hope to possibly best you by myself. You defy logic in every way." The bitter truth caused Matt to weakly laugh. "But, unfortunately for you, I'm not alone." God Serena raised a brow at Matt's words. "I've got a whole guild filled with complete idiots that support me no matter how far I am from them." Matt's back straightened. "And I've got a whole group of Spirits that take my crappy orders without question and always stand by my side." To the surprise of everyone, the entire deck box glowed brightly as all of his Monster's took his side. "So I sure as hell can't best you alone. But with all of them?" Matt smirked. "You ain't shit."

The man's face twisted in fury as his eyes took their familiar colors. "THEN DIE!!"

"LET'S GO!!!" Matt began his charge at God Serena. The path being cleared by the Magicians bombarding him with blasts.

God Serena spat out a breath attack. Matt was chucked into the air by Breaker and Celtic Guardian.

"USELESS!" Lightning bolts shot out at Matt. All of which were interpreted by the broken and lifted up ground Grand Mole and the other strong monsters threw up to intercept.

He began to kick off each rock, reaching closer and closer to his adversary.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!!" The Dragon Slayer shot up large chucks of earth that were all shot down by Lightning and Fire from Summoned Skull and Flame Swordsman. The elements disappearing too fast for Serena to devour.

When he reached the end of his platforms, Matt leaped as far as his weakened legs could allow. The Dark Magician's offered their rods as a launch pad and threw him furthur.

With a clear aim, God Serena unleashed a massive fireball at Matt. A black sphere then quickly covered the teen and protected him. Red-Eyes withstood the immeasurable pain as he unfurled his wings, twisted, and threw Matt at the Dragon Slayer with a smirk.

"AHHHHHH!!!" Matt roared his final battle cry and rocked his fist back.

God Serena charged his final attack, but his eyes went wide. 'I WON'T MAKE IT?!'

"GO MATT!" The guild roared their cheers as his fist collided into God Serena's face.

Every last drop of his remaining power hit the Dragon Slayer without restraint. Serena's eyes bugged out and the breath attack he'd been charging hit the ground, causing a massive smoke cloud to engulf the area.

Everyone watched on at the edges of their seats. Hoping and praying that the result was the one they wished for.

A hand broke out from above the dust, its index finger raised towards the sky triumphantly.

The Announcers dare not talk, praying that they wouldn't jinx it.

The dust cleared to reveal the battered, bloody, and unbroken will of Matt. Standing victoriously over the unconscious God Serena.

"THE WINNER IS: MATTHEW ATLAS!" The King cried in victory as the crowd followed suit with deafening roars of their own.

"YEAH!!!" Fairy Tail cheered in victory for their comrade.

Date looked on at the sight with a smirk.

He then jotted down the first thing that came to his mind for the headline of the article about the tournament's finale.

"A King of Games has been crowned."

**Title drop!**

**Welcome back everyone to yet another chapter of this clusterfuck!**

**Ho boy this fight. Where do I even begin.**

**Matt had to pull out absolutely every last stop to claim victory. There were even options he had that he just could not do due to exhaustion. From Ritual and Fusion making their debuts (yes Flame Swordsman was a normal card this entire time, because I still can't comprehend early YGO decisions), to Senbonzakura getting two uses and Matt even breaking out some high-level spirits. Also don't worry, Neos and Buster Blader will get more time to shine.**

**I didn't even put in all my ideas into the fight, hell he original draft had Senbonzakura 1 lead right into the motion sickness trap. However I wanted some cool moments for Matt to have in this fight instead of spirits doing all the heavy lifitng. Matt Inosuke-ing his sword into Serena's arm was one of these. I had also wanted to include Matt curb stomping Serena's head, but I couldn't find a good spot to fit it in without screwing up the pacing.**

**Also, we finally get to see spells and traps! Even though technically the Dark Burning Attack, Inferno Fire Blast and Grand Mole basically using Trap Hole do kinda count. So my system for Spells and Traps is that they're just abilities the monsters have. Not a complicated one, but it opens up some nice avenues. Some monsters that don't have effects matyget some spell(s) and or trap(s) to make up the difference. Remember people, this is the first arc, I'm gonna need some patience for this stuff. I have plans, ya just gotta roll with it.**

**So the obvious elephant in the room is Serena having Dragon Force. The reasoning is 100% headcanon, but also kinda rooted in fact and context clues. Gen 2 Dragon Slayer's are incapable of using DF since they lack the Dragon Seed (god that name is way too sexual), so they get a kind of psuedo DF where they grow scales and get a slight powerup. This is likely because a Lacrima doesn't have the same amount of raw Dragon essence (this is getting really weird to type), so the seed isn't able to take root. However, Serena has 4 lacrima at the moment. So essentially the reasoning is: he has enough of the dragon essence to form a seed and use DF. Naturally, this will lead to fun shenanigans when these two rematch down the line... what? It was pretty damn obvious that was gonna happen.** **Just wait until the next chapter if you want blatant evidence.**

**I also hope you guys enjoyed that Fairy-Tail-Ass-Fairy-Tail moment, because HO BOY are those not gonna be a common thing Matt does. If you also want the accompanying music I was listening to when writing that to add some spice, it's the F-Zero song. You know the one**.** The one from one of the greatest moments in anime.**

**And yes, of course I was gonna give Matt the King of Games title. What does that mean for the future? Guess you'll have to wait and see. But maybe not too long.**

**As a quick side-note to cover some odd discrepancies this chapter such as the color of Senbonzakura or odd first-draft looking wording at points, I literally couldn't edit parts of this chapter. For some reason the fanfiction app refused to let me edit and sent me somewhere else in the chapter whenever I tried to edit some paragraphs. This actually doesn't really change anything, I'll just simply add to and edit my chapters in my other writing app. But I just wanted that to be out there to save anyone from commenting on that.**

**Next chapter is the epilogue of this arc, so we're finally gonna get a chapter with no action after over a month.** **It'll also set up the next bundle of chapters so look forward to that.**

**With all of that done, I bid you all adieu.**


	15. All the World's A Stage

**Well hello there, once more I have returned with more replies to comments that have my answers ultimately come out to: it just works.**

**Vendre: **Oh I am aware Serena is absolutely no joke even at half-power. The thing to keep in mind however is that Matt had time and the knowledge to use his major weaknesses and exploit them. Matt, while having nowhere near the firepower of someone of Serena's caliber, right now, he can still stall out fights unless he gets speed blitzed.

**Middernacht:** At this time, Serena is currently not a Wizard Saint, so there is no title for Matt to take. However I severely doubt Matt would even care for the title if offered it if he saw nothing to gain from it.

**Now then, I better get going since my words have caused Todd Howard to be spawned and he's trying to hunt me down and buy all 8,756 versions of Skyrim.** **Enjoy!**

Matt's eyes slowly opened. His first thought being 'Holy shit everything hurts, including things I didn't know could hurt." His second, less agonized one, was 'Wait this room looks familiar.'

Being unable to lift his neck, he had to settle for simply looking around. His suspicion was confirmed as this room was the very same one he'd rested in three years ago. As he realized this, the door being opened caught his attention.

"Ah, good to see you're awake." Jura smiled as he took a seat nearby.

"Jura? You look… good." Matt was very confused by the lack of bandages or any wounds at all on the twenty year-old's body.

"Why thank you. Though the praise should go towards that woman Makarov-dono brought with him when he arrived a few days ago. She quickly treated you and I before leaving, citing that "large populations of humans enrage her", quite the character she is." He awkwardly chuckled.

Matt's expression was even more confused. "Okay. How long have I been out? Why is Master here? And what's with the whole "dono" shtick?"

"Five days. He came to make sure you were being treated well. And I got to learn what it meant from Toyo-dono who told me it was a form of respect one could give that applied to all people."

"I… see?" Matt was still confused by that last part, but he let it slide. "So how long am I gonna look like a mummy?" He sighed out.

"Oh I'd say another three days. Porlyusica-dono is truly gifted at her craft. The medicine she made had your body go from "devastated skeleton" one day to "extremely bruised" the next. It was quite amazing." Jura stroked his chin at the memory.

"Well at least I can just go back to the guild after this." He sighed in relief.

"What do you mean?" The bald man raised a brow.

"What? I'll just take the prize money and head home, no biggie." He attempted a shrug.

"No I don't mean that, I mean won't you be attending the party in four days?"

"Indeed!" The door opened to reveal the King smiling widely.

"Ah, your Majesty." Jura stood and bowed.

"At ease young man, this is not a time of formality, it's a time of camaraderie!" He gleefully stated.

"What's got you so over the moon? Shouldn't you be biting your nails over the fact that bastard and I leveled the city? Sorry about that by the way." He sheepishly apologized.

"Bah! Such trivial things are of no concern. The city repairs are coming along fantastically!" The king's words caused Matt to blink a few times as he registered that knowledge.

"Seriously?"

"Oh yes, after your victory the most miraculous thing happened: numerous guilds all over Fiore offered to help repair the city! On top of that, Caelum, Sin and Pergrande have offered assistance too with funds and extra hands!" The King's smile widened.

"Wow. I, didn't expect that."

"It's all thanks to you my boy!"

"...Huh?" Matt's body slumped slightly as he was severely confused.

"See your words spoke to the hearts of the people! In fact the council even reported that Guild Member Application Rates are at an all-time high!"

"My corny speeches did that?" 'Do I secretly have Talk-no-Jutsu or something?' Matt's eye twitched at the thought.

"They're "corny" for a reason y'know. Speeches like that are a dime a dozen, but they're so common because they speak of things we take for granted." The King took a seat. "Things such as friendship and family are often taken at face value by many people. Until tragedy coldly reminds them of what they lost." His voice dropped a bit for some reason. However he quickly picked himself back up. "So perhaps hearing such things from a youngster like you resonated with your peers and inspired them to seize the day and embrace what they have."

"I'm not too sure about that, but arguing over such things is pointless." Matt attempted to end this conversation.

"Indeed. Regardless, don't feel bad for the property damage." The King waved his hand back and forth lazily with a grin. "Now then, we should discuss your reward!"

Matt's eyebrow rose, "What do you mean? The winner would receive 25 million Jewel. That's it."

"Well of course you'll still get the money. However, the Council thought it best to leave out what their reward would be."

"The Council is also giving a reward?" Jura asked, just as surprised as Matt.

"Indeed. They didn't wish to advertise it so as to make sure some… unsavory individuals wouldn't interfere with the tournament." Matt theorized he was referring to Dark Guilds, but wasn't sure.

"What kind of reward is it that they felt the need to do that?" Matt was genuinely interested in this extra reward.

"For you Matt, a choice of any 3 books from the Council's Forbidden Library."

"HUH?!?!" Matt shouted in disbelief.

"I can't say I've heard of this "Forbidden Library"." Jura placed a hand to his chin.

"The Forbidden Library is where the council keeps all one-of-a-kind magic books. Magic's confiscated from Dark Guilds, found in ancient ruins, kept hidden for hundreds of years. They study these books to see if any new branches of Magic can be unearthed separately. It's essentially like being given the keys to knowledge known only to people that number in the low double digits." Matt explained to the large man. 'It's also why I skipped out on the Magical Library available to the public. No way in hell they're gonna have Dimensional Teleportation Magic just lying around with stacks of reprinted Tomes.'

"That's quite the wonderful opportunity." Jura seemed genuinely surprised.

"Indeed. The Council requested you come after you've left the city." King Fiore told Matt.

"Got it. Just means I'll be a bit late getting to Magnolia." Matt shrugged.

"By the way, Jura, would you mind stepping out for a moment. I wish to speak of Matt alone."

Jura wordlessly stood and bowed to the king before exiting and closing the door.

"You really spooked us there you know." Toma sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well between that fake death stunt, the ridiculous amounts of damage you took and actually being unconscious at the end of that fight, most of us were concerned you'd gone comatose."

"Well, I really wouldn't say I won that fight." Matt wished to scratch his cheek, but he couldn't move his arms.

"What do you mean?" The king looked at him confused.

"Well while I did have the guy on his last legs for sure, that last blast he did got redirected with my punch. I used him as a meat shield while he took the full brunt of it. He... essentially knocked himself out." Matt was clearly frustrated by the fact he didn't do Serena in with that last punch.

"I see, well what you did still didn't do any less to solidify yourself once again." Fiore smiled warmly.

"What do you mean?"

King Fiore stood and walked over to the window, gazing out to his country. "You know the job of being a King is a difficult one. I had the role placed upon my shoulders after my father gave it up. The Second Trade war had destroyed his mind from all the bloodshed he'd witnessed as a King not much older than you. So the second he could discard the mantle with approval, he did so. Being a King before the age of 20 was rather hard. I relied on my advisers for years." Toma sighed, recalling the lectures he'd get.

"Thankfully this country saw peace after that awful war. So I wasn't thrown straight into a fire like my father was when his father died. Instead my position was thrown upon me far too soon, my father treating it as if it were a plague. As you can imagine this didn't help my young mental state. I'd grown so distressed that I didn't marry and have Hisui until I was in my fifties." The memory of his wedding day caused a truly happy smile to grace his face.

"I don't wish for my daughter to continue this trend of rulers that have this burden thrown upon them before they're ready. The fear I felt as both a King and a Father over the fact she could take over if I were to suddenly die kept me awake many nights." He then turned to look at Matt. "That is until you came along."

"Huh? Me? What do I have to do with this?"

"Y'know my daughter is a pretty sharp girl with a good head on her shoulders. I could tell from a young age she'd be absolutely miserable as a ruler. Without anyone to follow in the footsteps of that she could relate to, she'd be lost just as I and her grandfather were. But then you came along." Toma smiled at the teen.

"You did what I thought impossible: you gave her hope. You gave the one year-old that she was hope that if someone like you? A young boy beating up Dark Guild's and saving people, then why couldn't she do it too? The night after you left, while faint at first, I saw a true fire of determination in her small eyes. It's only grown stronger each and every day since then."

A smile befitting a proud father befell the King's face. "Now when I look at her, I no longer see someone dreading their inevitable fate. I look at my daughter and I see a young girl, raring to take on the world in order to protect others. The gift you have given not just me, but this entire country, can never hoped to be repaid."

"Woah woah woah! Slow down there dude!" Matt tried to get the King to stop. "I appreciate the words and all, but I was just someone doing another guy's job. It's nothing like what you're describing."

"View it as you may, the fact remains that your actions have at the very least helped one person better themself. Take pride in that." The King smiled as his gaze turned to Matt.

The teen opted to remain silent and take the words of the King in. 'I wonder, am I doing more good here than I ever was back home? I can barely remember any details that weren't important from back home. It's all so... fuzzy. Even the faces of those I rreember from there are beginning to fade away. Is that good or bad? Do I wanna go home or do I wanna stay? Not like life here is awful by any means. I've got a bunch of kids that for some reason look up to me like I'm someone inspirational. The adults aren't bad, just living up the last of their youth. I don't even feel homesick anymore honestly. However… that drive. That desire to return to my true home is still there. What did I even look like back home? Did... did I even have any friends? It's too damn blurry.'

"Is everything okay?" Toma asked with some concern.

"Huh? Oh I'm fine, just still kinda out of it after that fight is all." Matt tried to ease the King's mind.

"I can believe that, quite the harrowing effort." Toma easily bought the half-truth.

"By the way, what did happen to that guy?"

"God Serena? We treated his wounds and he just up and vanished by morning. I imagine he went back to Pergrande." The King placed a hand to his chin.

"I see…"

"Well, I'll leave you to recover than!" Smiling, the King exited the room.

Matt, not even realizing it before awaking, had closed his eyes and fallen back asleep.

* * *

"GODDAMNIT ALL!!" The Dragon Slayer hit the ground with his fists.

God Serena was currently on the outskirts of Fiore near Seven. It was raining rather heavily due to a nasty thunderstorm.

"HOW?! HOW COULD I LOOSE?!" He roared to no one in particular.

It just didn't make any sense. He was the strongest! He had found four Dragon Slayer Lacrima and had learned to use them all! So how in the world could some pissant Mage defeat him?!

"You'll always be weak." A voice whispered in his head.

"SHUT UP!" He screamed at the voice with all his hate.

"You'll always be weak. You'll always be weak. You'll always be weak." The voice repeated over and over in his head.

"SHUT UP DAMN YOU!!"

"You'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweakYou'llalwaysbeweak." The one voiced multiplied itself as it continued to berate the man.

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!! SO WHY?! WHY DO YOU HAUNT ME FATHER?!" Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes.

The voice eventually stopped, but only after the young man had passed out from screaming as much as he did. His fury resembling the world around him.

* * *

"Any reason as to why your mood has been like this the past few days Ultear?" Hades asked with a raised brow.

The two were currently in the library of Grimoire Heart's headquarters. For what had to have been for a week straight, Ultear had disappeared into her room only to come out a short time later with a smile on her face. For some odd reason, the girl didn't even notice the smile until it was pointed out.

"Oh it's nothing important Master Hades, just something amusing I had to watch for a short time. Don't worry, it won't be happening again." She attempted to ease the suspicion of her Master.

The old man remained silent for a moment, "Very well, as long as you remain on track to mastering Arc of Time, I care not what you do in your spare time. Just remember, we are attacking Corazón City within a week, be prepared." With that, he exited the room.

Ultear sighed and slumped in her chair a bit. "Can't even enjoy some mindless entertainment without him prying." Though she did suppose Master found it odd when she was skipping like a much younger girl. She herself didn't even notice she was doing it until Zancrow mocked her. "The nerve of him." Ultear huffed in annoyance at the thought.

Couldn't a girl be happy for her friend?

"Friend?" She said the word and it felt... foreign. Not bad by any means, just... odd. Her childhood was ruined when that _woman _abandoned her and then shortly afterwards she was taken in by Master Hades. The other Kin weren't anything close to what the textbook definition of "friend" was. Let alone Ultear's own version. Though... was he really a friend? They hadn't seen or talked to each other in years after all. But somehow whenever Ultear thought back to her first interaction with someone her own age not seeing her as the daughter of the woman she resents, an alien feeling of warmness worms it's way into her heart. She'd certainly shared more kind words with him than anyone else besides Master Hades, but her relationship with him was far more professional than personal.

To most people, only having one friend at the age of 13 would be a bad thing. Though for Ultear, she didn't mind it as long as the quality of the friendship was good enough.

"I wonder when I'll see him again?" The girl absentmindedly thought out loud before getting back to studying her Magic. The vague thought of meeting with Matt again swimming in her mind more prominently now.

* * *

"Damn!" Jellal kicked over a nearby table. He'd recently had development of the Tower of Heaven reach the 90% mark, however he hit a snag with the R-System: the neccessary mana to power it.

It was certainly frustrating. Initially he'd assumed the hard part would be simply building the accursed tower to revive Zeref. Unfortunately he'd failed to take into account the magnitude of neccessary Magic Power to trigger the Ethernano within.

"Calm down Jellal, just go over the strongest spells you know of." The bluenette sighed and took a seat. "Abyss Break? No, the neccessary scale of it would be far too much for myself to do. Sema? No, it's a physical object, I'd just damage the tower." He racked his brain for an answer. "What's an incredibly powerful magic that doesn't have physical mass?" The twelve year-old looked to the sky in thought.

"Wait." The sky? His eyes widened. "That could work, but how would I even get access to it?" He placed a hand to his chin for a moment. "I doubt I could infiltrate the Council, my moves would be too monitored." However something about what he just said struck him. "Hold on, _Jellal_ can't infiltrate the castle." A sinister smile made it's way to his face. "But prehaps someone else could." He immediately made his way to the library housed in the tower for a specific book on a certain magic.

"Hoh? So their side has chosen their champion eh?" A figure sat at the table of a local diner. In his hands was the recent newspaper regarding the Tournament.

"Shall I begin the steps to my move then?" He smirked.

A waitress approached the table he sat it with a tray of coffee.

"Would you like any sugar or cream with your coffee sir?" She set the items on the table.

"Two sugar cubes and three teaspoons of cream if you'd be so kind." He gently smiled at the woman, getting a slight blush from her.

After she'd left, he enjoyed a sip of the drink. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"I better go pay an old friend a visit then."

* * *

"Remind me again Arcadios, why the hell do I attend these things?" Matt sighed as he adjusted the bowtie of his suit. 'I swear these damn things are my rival or something.'

"Well, you've only attended two of these and both of them were thrown in your honor." The knight reasoned. Since Matt had last seen him, the man had a goatee going and allowed his hair to grow out more.

"And once again I'm reminded why I dislike these things." He grumbled as he finally got the fashionable noose just right.

"Come now Matt-dono, enjoy yourself. Not every day you win something to determine the best young mage on the continent!" Jura smiled at the teen while snacking on the assorted cheeses. Even the big guy was weak to small cubed cheese.

"Sure, and the last time this happened was because I was the "Hero of Fiore", or whatever the tabloids called me." Matt rolled his eyes.

"Now it's the King of Games." Arcadios reminded him.

"Gonna have to nail Date for that." Matt made a mental note.

"Oh I think that's a fitting nickname. After all you're still undefeated in the regional game scene. I guess that includes fighting tournaments as well now." Jura spoke after swallowing another handful of dairy goodness.

"Is another one of these happening next year? I fear for the cities infrastructure if so…" Arcadios spoke with visible worry.

"Ah don't get your chainmail in a twist. The King said the tournament would be on indefinite hiatus." Matt finally got to some of the snacks himself.

"Oh? Did he say why?" The knight inquired for info.

"Well he felt the quality of it was lacking a bit. Complications having contestants across the continent, he not having any real reason to be there, not enough variety. He wants to go back to the drawing board before doing another one of these." He spoke before enjoying some of the ham.

"I see, I guess that makes sense in retrospect." Jura nodded.

"By the way you two." Arcadios addressed the two mages. "Please don't eat all of the food before the guests get any." He spoke with a heavy eye twitch.

"Aren't you the one who told me this was in my honor?" Matt spoke with a hand over his mouth.

Jura couldn't respond due to stuffing his cheeks like a squirrel out of fear he'd be barred from food until the party was over.

Arcadios just sighed at the sight of the two. One was an adolescent and the other was an adult, yet here they are without a care in the world.

"Big Brother!" The voice of a small girl caught Matt's attention.

Princess Hisui had run over to the teen with a large smile.

"P-princess?! Weren't you supposed to come out with your father?!" Arcadios quietly shouted.

"But I wanted to see Big Brother now." The four year-old pouted.

"Hey kid, still planning world domination?" Matt squatted down and smiled.

"Yup! I even recruited the aliens to my cause!" She maliciously smiled.

"Gasp! You villain! How did you learn their language?" Matt put a hand to his heart in shock.

"Nanu nanu." The Princess said making the familiar Star Trek hand sign. Okay, so may~be she snuck in the past few days to see Matt in his room. And may~be he showed her some of the fun things he still remembered from his old world.

The knight was dumbfounded by the conversation while Jura chuckled.

"So Makky, how's the guild doing?" Yajima asked his old friend as they sat off to the side with alcohol.

"Oh same ol' same ol', we got quite a few new youngsters lately. Makes me happy to see so many young people take such a profound interest in magic." The old man took a swig from his bottle.

"I'm glad we can entrust to future to such people." Yajima nodded as he too drank from his own bottle.

"Hopefully it means I can retire soon." Makarov spoke with some growing redness on his face.

"Oh? That confident in Laxus?" Yajima raised a brow, also getting red in the face.

"Goodness no! That youngster still haz a loooong way to go before I make him mashter." His words started to slur a bit.

"Then who'd ya haf in mind?" The other older man's words also slurred.

"Not Gildarts, thafs for sure…" The half-empty bottle was shook as Makarov pointed it at Yajima, mistaking it for his hand. Thankfully his thumb was over the hole.

"Then who?"

"I dunno, maybe Maff if he's shtill arounf." Another big swig was taken.

"Ohhhhh." Yajima tried to nod, but it was moreso him rocking his head very slowly up and down.

"Are those two gonna be okay?" Arcadios pointed out the Councilman and Guild Master.

Matt sighed as he stood with Hisui riding on his shoulders. "They'll be fine. Gramps is a happy drunk that holds his alcohol better than he looks." He had to somewhat raise his voice over Hisui laughing and raising her arms in glee. Some nobles wanted to make comments on her attitude, but when they saw who she was playing with, those thoughts were instantly killed out of fear.

"Well at least it's not like everyone here is a mage." Arcadios sighed out.

"You'd have to be absolutely nuts to invite nothing but guild mages here. They'd wreck the place and then some." Matt scoffed at that absurd idea. Just what kind of idiot does that?

In his personal room getting ready for the party, the King suddenly sneezed.

"Hey Big Brother! Let's go over there and play!" Hisui tugged on Matt's hair as she piloted him out to the garden.

"As much as it pains me to see the Princess be so carefree, it also makes me happy seeing her smile like that. Especially after… recent news." Arcadios muttered that last part out very quietly.

"Did you say something?" Jura raised a brow at the knight.

"Nothing important." He quickly responded with. Jura shrugged and continued to enjoy the delicious food. If he hadn't been though, he would've seen the sad eyes of Arcadios.

* * *

In the busy halls of the Central Rune Knight Headquarters in Fiore, Captain Sarutobi was as he normally is: signing mountains of paperwork.

"I swear, these mages have it easy." He groaned as he finished off the last pile of the evening. The tournament had caused his usual amounts of accursed documentation to skyrocket at an absurd rate.

Thankfully, the mundane act was broken by the sounds of knocking at his door.

"Enter." The man adjusted himself to seem more professional.

In came a young white-haired man dressed in the typical Rune Knight Garb a Captain wore. His face was draped with an expression of weariness.

"Ah, Ken." Sarutobi smiled at his fellow Captain, but took notice of his demeanor. "What brings you here? Is there something amiss on the Eastern side of the country?"

"No, I'm afraid it's something much more... concerning." The Captain sighed and took a seat across from his friend. "I come bearing news that's of the highest classification."

Immediately Sarutobi's face scrunched up into a more serious one as he nodded at the young man to continue.

"Councilman Hogg has gone missing."

Sarutobi's eyes widened slightly at that information, this was far more serious than he'd thought.

"When?" A short, simple question escaped his lips.

"Shortly after departing from the Capital. Some knights are currently heading to his secondary residence in Seven to see if he fled the country."

"I see."

No matter how one looked at it, any of the possibilities were _not_ good. Dead, turned traitor or kidnapped are all bad scenarios for countless reasons that needn't be expanded upon.

The major question for now is: where is the Councilman?

* * *

"Man it feels good to be walking like normal again." Matt stood and stretched as he just exited the carriage.

After the party three days ago, he'd left for Era early in the morning to make it as soon as possible. Makarov had already left to return back to Magnolia and Jura had already left before him.

Era was a nice place, located by the western mountains of the country, it was a pretty isolated place. The most distinct sight being a large building atop a large central pillar. It honestly resembled a trimmed mountain with a cut top. Some pathways were carved into the mountainside which is where Matt was currently walking.

'Man it's a good thing I'm fit. Otherwise walking up this thing would suck.' He grimaced at the idea of doing this in his past life. Something told him being physically active wasn't a major concern back then.

After another ten minutes of walking, he finally reached the top. Two Rune Knights guarded the door, but quickly allowed Matt to pass when he showed his Guild Stamp.

The inside of the building was frankly gorgeous. Marble everything with intricate art in the ceiling and beautiful tiles on the floor. Hell even the waiting room furniture looked like it came from the King's castle.

Matt approached the frog receptionist.

"Hello I'm-"

"Matthew Atlas, yes I know. Councilman Dorma will be with you momentarily, please have a seat." They said all of that without even looking Matt in the eye.

Tick marks appeared on the teens head as he grumpily made his way to a couch. The softness of it easing his anger, just a bit though. After a moment, someone that could pass as a Gandalf cosplayer in the wrong clothes entered the room.

"Councilman Doma?" Matt asked the man who nodded and gestured for the teen to follow.

"There are a few rules we must go over first before we actually enter the Library." At Matt's nod he continued. "First, I must approve of the book you wish to take. The truly dangerous books are stored somewhere else, but it's just a precaution to make sure nothing we may need in the future is gone." The duo approached what looked to be a large doorway guarded by two heavily armed Rune Knights. "Second, you may only take three books. If we find more are gone than what was approved of, the consequences will be dire."

"Of course." Matt spoke in a way that made it seem like said stipulation was obvious.

As they approached, the guards stopped Matt and placed handcuffs on him.

"Magic Sealing Cuffs?" He looked to the Councilman with a raised brow.

"The last rule is just a precaution." The large doors opened. "Come." The two descended a large staircase.

Matt noticed numbers on the wall.

"You have multiple basement floors?"

"Each basement floor is a containment area. The top one is the one we are heading to."

"So I assume the deeper you go the nastier the things you guys keep here get?" Matt rationalized as the duo walked down the stairs.

"Indeed, hence why I said the truly malicious books were kept elsewhere."

'Makes sense. As the governing force over Mages they'd likely keep the real nasty stuff contained so no one else can grab it.' Matt reasoned as they reached a large door on a flat section of the incredibly long staircase.

Gran Doma then opened the doors revealing an impossibly massive room filled with bookcases.

"Whoa." Matt spoke his awe out loud as he gazed around. There had to of been tens of millions, maybe even hundreds of books on the shelves that made up the walls and littered the floor.

"Now then." The Councilman approached an oddly slanted pillar before it beamed to life with an odd magic. "Any books come to mind?"

"Is that Archive Magic?"

"Indeed, we do have a system for all these books you know? It'd be a challenge for anyone to find something specific here manually."

Matt nodded as he began to think over his options. 'Best to lead in with something less suspicious.' He tgought before speaking, "How about Runes?"

"I'll need something a bit more specific, I don't wish to spend a week in this room." The Councilman sighed.

"... Let's try really old and really new ones." Most of the Guild's library had magic books around a hundred years old, so perhaps something even older or newer could help.

Doma typed in something to the terminal. Four books came flying out from their places and were set on a nearby table.

"The top three are more modern interpretations of Runic magic within the past 20 years. Their specifics are quite narrow. The bottom book is a collection of the most ancient Runes we have found on the continent."

Matt scanned over the contents of the top three. 'Eh, not really what I need. Those Runes are basically the exact same as the ones that didn't work. Just more streamlined for easier use.'

However the bottom book bore incredible fruit. 'These Runes. I recognize them a bit. Parts of them, if not the whole thing, are used in more complex Runes, which means these must be Fundamental Runes!'

The reason why no other runes seemed to work for Matt is because Replication Magic is _old. _As in it's documented as one of the first 100 Magics still used by modern Wizards, discounting Lost and Forbidden Magic of course. Due to this, the magic had never been updated in some manner like basic elemental magic and was instead just reprinted over and over again. However, runic magic was just as old. Meaning these ones should work just fine for what Matt needs them for.

"This bottom one has a lot of promise." Matt grabbed the book.

"Truly?" Doma seemed a little surprised by that. "Well, it matters not. Those Runes are so ancient that they haven't been sighted once in the Council's 200 year history. Taking it shouldn't pose any worries." Doma stated as Matt put it to the side as the other three books returned to their spots.

"Now then, any other ideas?"

"…" Matt remained silent for a moment. "Teleportation Magic?"

Doma typed it in and only one book came out.

"That's a book primarily on the specifics of teleporting instantly, be it object or person."

Matt scanned it and sighed. "No, sorry, it's not what I'm looking for." He hid the slightly defeated tone in his voice.

The book was recalled.

"How about Dimensional Magic?" A hail mary was thrown out by the teen.

Doma typed into the console and shook his head. "Unfortunately there's nothing of that sort in this library."

A rather cruel idea rooted itself in Matt's mind as he deciphered what the Councilman meant, but he quickly suppressed it.

Matt gazed down, knowing any option related to returning home was fruitless. So, he had a rather silly idea come to him.

"How about anything on Fairies?"

"Fairies?"

Matt shrugged, "It's my Guild's eternal adventure to find them after all."

Doma looked at him oddly before typing it in. Surprisingly, a book did come out.

"That book is… odd to say the least. It's the writings of a man from over a thousand years ago who claimed he spoke the language of Fairies. Said language is written within its confines."

Matt looked it over and shrugged. "Sure, I'll take it." Doma didn't even try to justify why it was okay for him to take it.

"Now then, you have one choice left."

The teen went deep into thought. 'These runes should vastly expand my arsenal. The Fairy Language is just for fun. Maybe I should get something else I can work on?'

"You got any recommendations?" He genuinely asked the old man.

"Hmm. Well if by what I've seen of your abilities is anything to go by, you lack a Magic that allows you close combat capabilities. Weapons are useful, but if a foe is resistant to them or is able to counter them, then you'd be defenseless. Your Spirits are very strong, but only relying on them for melee combat is a gamble as they still require their catalyst to be brought out…" Something seemed to come to the Councilman's mind as he typed something into the screen.

A single book placed itself on the table.

"I think you'll find that Magic in particular to be rather… interesting based on your recent history." Doma stroked his beard.

Matt looked over the book as his expression turned into one of slight shock.

"Yeah, I think I'll definitely have a use for this. Thanks for the recommendation Councilman." He nodded at the old man.

"Of course, preserving and allowing the future of Magecraft to grow and flourish is the job of the Council after all." He slowly stroked his long beard while speaking.

Matt grabbed the three books as the duo made their way out.

"By the way, out of curiosity, would God Serena have gotten this treatment if he had won?"

"Heavens no. We somewhat made a mistake with him." Gran Doma grimaced.

"How so?"

"Well for the tournament we tried to invite more... mentally sound individuals. It seems a few slipped under the radar though."

"Ya got that right." Matt agreed as he thought back to his last two opponents. Granted Xanxo was just a battle freak unlike any other, no real malice in him. God Serena though, Matt could physically feel his desire to kill in that fight.

Once back to the stairwells entrance, Matt had his Cuffs removed.

"Again, thank you for this gift Councilman." Matt bowed.

"You're quite welcome young man. Make sure you use that magic responsibly now."

"Of course. Give my regards to Councilman Yajima." He waved goodbye as he walked off, new seeds of his growth in hand.

* * *

Xanxo leaned on the railing of the ship, looking out to the seemingly endless blue before his eyes.

"Oi, Xanxo, what the hell is up with you?" Squall asked as he approached.

"Hey Squall." He asked still looking out at the ocean.

"What?"

"What do you think about guilds?"

"The hell sparked that idea?" The white haired man recoiled in surprise.

"Just answer the damn question." He furrowed his brows.

"Dunno, never been in one." Squall shrugged as he leaned on the railing too.

The pair remained silent for a moment.

"I think I wanna join one." Xanxo spoke with slight determination.

Squall looked over at the man in genuine shock. "Who the hell are you and what did you do with Xanxo?"

"Do you want me to kill you?"

* * *

After about a week of traveling, Matt finally returned to the guild after being gone for what felt like forever.

"I'm back…" He suppressed a yawn. Traveling in a cramped carriage sucks for a long period of time.

"Fight me!" Natsu tackled the teen immediately. When he looked up excitedly and saw the horrifying expression on Matt's face, the boy knew then that he fucked up.

Matt lifted the boy and power bombed him through a table. Natsu twitched as a comedic bump appeared on his head and his soul tried to exit through his mouth.

"That's what you get flame brain!" Gray laughed, holding his stomach.

"Gray, your clothes." Cana dryly spoke.

"How in the?!" Gray immediately scrambled to find his clothes.

Erza sighed at the sight before approaching the teen. "Welcome back Matt."

"Good to see ya squirt" He ruffled her hair.

"Please don't call me that." She faintly pouted.

"Hey! The man of the hour is back!" Macao cheered.

"You guys know what that means!" Wakaba addressed the guild.

"Oh no." Matt sighed out.

"""PARTY!!!""" As usual, Fairy Tail broke out into their usual shindig of celebrating whenever the faintest reason popped up.

Matt looked around. "Anyone see where Kagura is?" Wasn't like her to not be around.

"She went into your room a minute ago. Don't have the faintest reason why." Erza spoke before walking off to break up another fight between Gray and Natsu.

Matt then entered his room to find Kagura sitting on his bed. He closed the door.

"Hey, what's going on?" The teen asked as he approached the girl.

Kagura looked away from him with her expression still unreadable.

"Kagura, you know you can talk to me about anything right?" Matt spoke in a worried tone.

"Big Brother is stupid." She hit his arm.

"Ow. What was that for?" He asked rubbing the spot, the girl hit harder than you'd expect.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" She kept hitting him until he finally caught her hands.

"What's wrong?" His words a mix of confusion and concern.

Tears formed in her eyes as she immediately hugged him, Matt returned the gesture somewhat awkwardly, not quite knowing why she was like this.

"When. When you fought that Bully." She spoke between sniffles. "We thought. We thought you had died."

'Oh. Oh that.' Matt's face grimaced as he recalled that move. Sure it was completely unexpected, but that was the point.

He grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"Kagura I am so sorry for that. I wasn't thinking about how'd that look to everyone else. I'm so sorry you had to see that especially." He knew why she was like this now. It's one thing to have everyone you ever loved killed and enslaved, and its another thing to think the person you immediately bonded to after that is dead. Like having your heart broken and put back together, only for the glue to rot and make it all fall apart once again.

"I promise I'll never do something like that again."

The girl sniffed. "Pinky promise." She held out her pinky finger.

Matt smiled as he returned the gesture.

"Big Brother promises he'll stop being stupid."

"You better." She wiped her tears.

"C'mere." He hugged the girl once again. She returned the gesture very willingly.

Once they broke apart he stood and held out his hand.

"Now come on, let's go out there with everyone." He smiled at her.

"Yeah!" She smiled the kind of smile that warms the heart as she took Matt's hand and walked out to see everyone else in Fairy Tail.

'Maybe… this place isn't so bad after all.'

* * *

The man who enjoyed his coffee with a pair of sugar cubes and three teaspoons of creamer whistled in the house he walked around.

"Wow, you certainly have a knack for the finer arts." He gazed around at the expensive paintings and knick knacks that littered the home.

"Then again blood money does go quite far."

He smiled as he entered the kitchen.

"Oh my!" He gaped at the object atop the counter.

"Is that an old record player? Goodness me these are quite rare nowadays." He approached the item and gazed at the selection. One album caught the man's eye as he excitedly pulled it out and placed it on the device before lowering the needle.

A violin crescendo filled the nearly vacant house. The man did a light dance and sway to the piece as he lost himself to the rather fierce song.

"Magnificent isn't it?" He ceased and approached an area by the windows.

"Slovat's third symphony. He called it the Reconquista as a show of support to Caelum who'd had their island's seized by foreign invaders."

The man closed the binds to the room, dimming the sunlight tremendously.

"Quite fitting wouldn't you say? A man giving a war song to those seeking to reclaim what is rightfully theirs." He turned his head to look at the other figure in the room.

"MMMFMFMFM" Councilman Hogg cried out in terror. He was bound and gagged to a chair rather crudely. Sweat poured down his face and tears welled in the corners of his eyes. He gazed at the man in pure, unadulterated terror.

"Now now Councilman, it's quite rude to look at a guest in that manner." He chided the older man.

This man smirked and squatted in front of Hogg.

"I simply wish to know where Naraka is. Tell me, and you'll be set free from your bindings." He reassured the man in a comforting tone.

Hogg nodded vigorously as the man pulled out a pen and map. The pen went in Hogg's mouth and he marked the area on the map where Naraka was.

"See? Look at what you can accomplish when you just listen." He smiled and patted the man's shoulder proudly.

Hogg looked at the man with pleading eyes.

"Yes yes, I did say I'd free you if you complied." He nodded and smiled, his hand still on Hogg's shoudler.

"However, I do have to say you're rather pathetic." Councilman Hogg's gaze widened as the man stared into his eyes.

"You're just as corrupt as the Chairman that's in Tartaros' pocket."

Hogg looked at him in pure shock.

"You've funded around thirty civil wars in your seventy year tenure as a Chairman. Let's not forget the child solider program you funded and founded with the former head of the Bureau of Magical Development. Oh, and we can't discard the fact you tried to sell the blueprints to Etherion to a foreign nation."

The feeling of dread and terror began to consume Hogg as the man's grip of his shoulder remained as firm as a statue.

"But bar none, your most unforgivable act: was funding Bosco's slave trade."

No matter what, the man's cordial smile never left his face as he spoke of these heinous, inhumane crimes.

The duo remained silent for what would appear to be an eternity. Not even the birds or people outside could affect the silent tension of the room.

The man smiled and patted Hogg's shoulder.

"I am a man of my word though." He smiled and nodded at the Councilman. "I'll set you free." His other hand went on the free shoulder of Hogg. The man's smile not once even changing.

.

.

.

"It was wonderful seeing you again Hogg, I hope you have a nice day." He smiled and stopped just short of exiting. "Oh! I also hope you enjoy the show I plan to put on." With that, he exited the premises.

As he walked out he noticed an odd feeling in the air.

"Oh? Is someone using little old me for a magic trick?" The man smiled. "Well it doesn't matter, nothing will stop me now." He whistled a tune as he walked off.

When Rune Knights arrived to the home of the missing Councilman, they were greeted by the sight of the formerly spotless kitchen painted in the gore of the Councilman. Not even a trace of a body was left in the chair as every nook and cranny in just the kitchen alone was painted red.

The only thing not covered in what was assumed to be Councilman Hogg, was the record player. Reconquista had never ceased playing the entire time.

This man had at long last set the stage he's so desperately desired. His actors have been chosen with the absolute highest scrutiny. The Grips are set and ready to go. All that was needed now, was an audience for the show.

And then?

The curtain that would change everything could finally rise.

**And this arc is a wrap!**

**Whew boy, we've been here for a bit haven't we? 15 chapters and over 100 thousand words. And to think, this is only the first of the six arcs that'll make up pre-canon. We've got a ways to go people, but I promise that if you stick with me, I'll stick with you, and we will get there.**

**Also, just as a warning, and I'm being genuine here, the 4th and 6th arcs are FUCKED. ****They will absolutely solidify why I chose an M-rating for this series and believe me when I saw I will make full use of the freedoms it gives me.**

**Now that I've instilled looming dread over all of you, let's discuss the chapter!**

**Fi****rst up on the menu of discussion was the aftermath of Matt vs. Serena. To Matt the victory is bittersweet as Serena did primarily do himself in at the end. He's still got a ways to go in terms of his growth, but things will be different next time.** **I'm already excited to write the rematch an eternity down the line.**

**We also got quite a few characters old and new popping up this chapter as well. Ultear was obviously happy with the tournaments outcome as she and the Kin grow in strength and continue searching for the Keys. Jellal is in the starting stages of the plan we all know very well. Serena is having an existential crisis as his past continues to haunt him. Our favorite slasher smiler is contemplating his future as a mage.** **Sarutobi is preparing himself for the rough storm brewing on the horizon.**

**Then we have this mysterious man that's about to change everything. Who is he? Why is he doing this? Just how strong is he? Questions that will all be answered in due time. But ya know, that place's name is pretty familiar. I wonder where it was seen before?**

**Matt is slowly but surely beginning to loose the threads of his home to the sands of time after over eight years. Will he find a way home? Will he become nothing but a wandering phantom, endlessly chasing its past? Or will he accept his new home? I suppose such things will take time to truly answer.**

**As for Matt's magic, many of you finally have your answer as to why he was only making basic weapons and nothing crazy. I always did wonder what the first truly defined magics were, so one of them being what should have been something for replacing lost items or mundane things makes sense to be old and very basic in theory. Fundamental Runes will absolutely kickstart his new growth cycle and I'm very excited to finally ramp up the destruction and strategies of future fights.** **As for this new magic he has to toy around with, you'll see what it is in due time. Personally it's from a branch of a criminally underutilized magic that's should have had a bigger role. Also, if you know your lore, you'll probably have a solid idea as to the type of magic, but not the specific aspect.**

**Also, this is absolutely it, I'm putting my foot down. Matt will no longer gain any new combat magics at all. From here on out it's all about growth and evolution with his tools. _IF _and that's a big one, he learns anything new, it'll just be quality of life stuff like how he knows Requip for convenience.**

**The**** next chapter will have another pretty significant change from canon that I'm sure many of you will be interested in. We'll also see the slowly budding fruits of Matt's new growth.**

**One last thing before I close off this chapter and a bit of real talk: with the last chapter this story hit over 100 followers. This may not seem like a lot to most people since tons and tons of stories have double or even triple that number from this series alone. To me however, it means the absolute world. I don't claim to be a good, or even a decent writer. I always get extremely anxious whenever I put out a new chapter as I constantly wonder if its the one that bombs and no one likes, worst-case scenario shit. So all this support is just ****invaluable for my drive to press on.**

**I strive as an author/creator/entertainer to make something I'm proud of and to challenge myself. I also strive to create content that challenges my readers too. I want to make them cry, I want to make them laugh, I want to make them think, I want to make them _feel_. Good media can exist and not be complex at all like a lot of basic Shonen. However it's the truly great and timeless works that make us think, that make us contemplate our views and cause an emotional reaction that we will always cherish and remember. I'm absolutely not saying this series is one of those, not even fucking close. But I want to improve to eventually reach those kinds of levels. It's a very long uphill battle, but as long as people want to see what I make, I'm determined to climb it.**

**Sorry if that got kinda rambly, I just had a lot I wanted to say. I doubt many of you even read my author notes. The TLDR is: thank you so much, I hope I can improve even more as a writer as time goes on.**

**I had also mentioned a crossover story I was working on a bit ago. Unfortunately I've hit a snag in wording and presentation that's driving me absolutely insane. So I'm gonna push that story back for now. If anyone maybe wants to help or beta for it, PM me if you want to. I'd rather have someone that at least likes my writing take a look at it than someone that's a complete blank slate. It's another OC fic since that's just my schtick... oh god that rhymed. Anyways, it's a DxD-meets-Nasuverse fic, (yes, that means Tsukihime, KnK, Mahoyo, Notes, Fate, etc.), with a pure human MC that won't reincarnate and has wacky, life threatening shenanigans with the various mythologies. There's a few other surprises, but I'd like to keep it, y'know, a surprise for the general audience.**

**However! I do actually have another fic I'm pretty eager to start writing the rough drafts for after I first played and quickly Platinumd the game recently. It'll defintely end up being shorter than this, so I don't mind starting it probably after the next arc ends, I'll keep you all posted.**

**As for what it is? Well, wouldn't you all say the idea is interesting?** **What idea do I mean? Well isn't it obvious?**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Becoming as god.**

**Wit****h all of that said and done: I bid you all adieu.**


	16. The World Presses On

**Well hello to all you lovely readers, got a few comments to respond to before we get this chapter underway!**

**Webzayne717: **Tournament arcs are a bit of a pain to make entertaining in a written format as opposed to a visual one. I primarily used this arc to gague how I wanna do GMG since I know it's a lot of people's favorite arc. Currently still deciding how I wanna handle it, so we'll see when we get there, but I don't think I'll be doing it the same way. POV shifts are also something I'm working on making smoother as well since it's kinda hard to not have them in a story with a cast this big.

As for your concerns with the Fairy Book, there is a purpose and I vaguely hinted as to why it was so spontaneous in this chapter, but it does also serve a purpose down the line.

The magic limitation mostly stems from the A: me personally not liking the idea of a character just spontaneously learning dozens and dozens of magics since that opens a real rough corner of, "Oh, if this _ is a problem why didn't he just learn _ Magic?" Both sides create their own problems, but I'll take the side I've chosen over the other. And B: I already have a solid plan for what his magic will become. Discounting the obvious stuff for Duel Monsters, Replication magic will be delved into more deeply after this next arc. Everyone has also already seen some examples of what I wanna do with it as well. So I hope it does some justice in your eyes as it becomes more its own thing and not just fun references.

Ss for the whole Chekhov thing, yeah I have some problems with that. Mostly it stems from me either just forgetting to add in a few lines, or me just not having the raw experience in writing things that keep the reader guessing and excited. I definitely hope to improve upon this down the line, so I do thank you for pointing it out.

Also if you liked the first 9 chapters, then you'll probably dig the 3rd major arc which is gonna be long, but has a lot of smaller, more personal stories for bonding between Matt and the cast.

**Middernacht: **Yeah I'll just nip this bud now, it's an OC. I do have plans for "Pegasus" that we'll see before too long, so look forward to that. As for Mark, I never actually considered doing anything with him at least for pre-canon. Maybe I'll find a way for him to pop up in canon, maybe not. My plans for canon are still in the works right now.

**Okay, with that done, on with this absurdly long chapter! Enjoy!**

"Ah, see you read it this way instead of reversing it." Matt corrected the young girl he was sitting with at a table.

"Oh! I see it now!" She beamed as she wrote the proper translation down. "Thanks a ton!"

"No problem Levy." He smiled as he stood and walked over to the bar.

The guild had gotten quite a few new faces lately. First off there was Levy who joined about a week after Matt got back from the Tournament. Jet and Droy followed soon after her, both literally and metaphorically as they were certainly fans of hers.

A girl named Evergreen had joined in September along with someone named Bickslow. The former was certainly... unique to say the least. She proclaimed herself Queen of the Fairies. Everyone just kinda went along with it so no debates would happen.

Bickslow meanwhile was certainly a character. His magic unnerved the hell out of Matt from how creepy the idea of it is. But, to his confusion, the man had recently started to avoid Matt rather heavily for some reason. Given their very few interactions ending rather smoothly and without incident, the decision from him perplexed Matt, however he decided it wasn't a problem for now and let it be.

Lastly, just a week ago, a new person joined named Freed Justine. He was thankfully pretty normal and on the calm and cool side, something Matt appreciated amongst the colorful cast of headache-inducers.

Aside from a member spike, there'd been some rather… peculiar developments in Matt's social life. It was hard for him to not be widely recognized at least in Fiore anymore. Though he'd gotten used to waving at some passerbys from being in Magnolia. However, that's not the somewhat unnerving part.

**Two weeks ago:**

Matt was returning from a recent shopping trip to restock the guild's kitchen once more. A few of his spirits helped him carry the bags which contained enough food to feed a small village for a month.

'Those damn guys eat way too much for their own good.' He internally groaned as he walked down the main street of town, giving nods of acknowledgment to some vendor owners that knew him from years ago.

As he strolled down the street, he noticed a crowd not too far from the guild. A sight he'd actually never even come close to seeing before, even after all the guilds shenanigans and various noise complaints that made the building the isolated structure it was.

"What's going on?" He voiced out loud as he took a closer look at the crowd. One thing stuck out rather plainly: they were all very clearly on the impoverished end of the social spectrum. To his surprise, they were actually the minority of the three social classes in at the very least this country. But as he gazed closer, he clearly saw that these people weren't just from Fiore, they were from all over the damn continent.

To what would eventually become his dread, one of the group noticed him.

"Ah! It's the King!" With that sentence uttered, a stampede followed suit as the teen was swarmed by people. They all either spoke in tongues he flat out didn't understand, broken Pergrandian or perfect Pergrandian.

"Please you have to help my baby!"

"You must help us overthrow the slave drivers!"

"Only you can stop those damn demons!"

"Monsters are-!"

"My family is-!"

"The king must die-!"

They eventually started talking over each other, words devolving into mindless noise as Matt couldn't even raise his voice to be louder than the collective hivemind.

A saving grace came from his spirits though as a blinding light shut the group up and made then cover the organs. When they could see again, they noticed Matt was gone. They desperately looked for the teen in the street.

"There!" One shouted as they all gave chase.

"Wait!"

"Take responsibility!"

"Ungrateful bastard!"

Countless profanities and what he assumed were slurs got chucked at the Illusion set up by Dark Magician.

Matt peered behind the corner to see them all no longer around.

"What. The fuck. Was that?" Plain and evident confusion wrote themselves upon his face.

"That my boy, is the consequence to your kind of Magical fame."

Matt turned to see the familiar Makarov gazing down the street where the people once were. He likely seen the commotion and came out to investigate.

"The hell do you mean by that?" This was certainly new to him.

"Matt, we are the minority in this world. Legal Wizard's are given jobs from both the Council and the general populace. However this system has lead to some… unfortunate side effects." Makarov sighed before continuing. "The first of which, as you just witnessed, were those who simply can't afford, or receive the employment of Wizard's for assistance. Requests must both be approved by the Council and have a reward involved for the scale of the job. So if one or the other can't be met, desperation begins it's consumption."

"So what? They looked to me to solve all their problems because they saw me on a Lacrima screen in an event payed by their tax money?" The teen tried to piece together that mentality.

"On a base level? Most likely. On a deeper level? Well... let's just say no one likes to talk about it." The older man ominously implied.

"Still doesn't justify everything they said at the end there." He scowled in their general direction.

Now that caused Makarov to really get a headache, not at Matt's ignorance to the picture or his understandable distaste towards their attitude, but because that was a can of worms no one liked to open. Especially not when regular people were all around the Wizard's.

"For now, let's just get back to the guild." The old man gestured for Matt and his spirits to follow suit.

The teen kept his gaze locked on where they headed off for a moment.

Just what the hell was going on with this world?

* * *

Currently Matt was talking to the familiar small man at their usual discussion spot, he was adjusting the white gloves he'd recently invested in while speaking to the man.

"A shipment?" The teen finally looked Makarov in the eye after getting the gloves just right.

"Correct, I need you to pick up some books I ordered for the Archives." Makarov handed him some papers.

Matt shrugged after a quick glance of the papers, "Seems pretty basic. Why not have someone else do it?"

Instead of replying, Makarov gestured to the guild hall. Where everyone was either drunk, fighting, drunk fighting or unconscious.

"…Fair." Matt sighed as he stood with the papers in hand. "So I just show these to the shopkeeper and that's it?"

"Yup! They're already paid for so don't worry about that."

Matt nodded. "Guess I'm heading out then. I'll be back later." Folding the papers and putting them into the inside pocket of his coat, Matt made his way out.

"Hey Matt! You going on a job?" Natsu asked the teen.

"Nope. Just picking up something for Master." He ruffled Natsu's hair before walking out and to the train station.

As usual, Hargeon was as busy as ever in mid-October. With Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all coming up, shipment orders for decorations, food and such were massive.

Thankfully the small magic shop Matt was visiting, the only one in town oddly, wasn't quite so busy this time of year. Summer is the real rough time for these stores; as they get rather busy once school gets out for the general populace that love to window shop, along with the Magic Schools in the country that have very eager students. Turns out Fiore actually has one of the lowest amounts of Magic Schools on the continent. Apparently it's due to there being far more villages than Cities. Meaning he council wouldn't waste money on schools only a dew kids would _maybe_ attend. Every major city had one sure, but that wasn't a real substantial number compared to somewhere like Caelum, which had one of the highest.

The door of the shop opened with a bell ring.

"Welcome, how can I help you today sir?" The shopkeeper asked.

Matt took out the papers, "I'm here to pick up an order for Fairy Tail's Master." He handed them to the shopkeeper who quickly looked them over.

"Ah yes, they just arrived from port. Just one moment please, feel free to browse." He smiled and went into the back.

'No thanks, got enough out of those two books as is.' Matt sighed. 'That Fairy Language book is pretty wild too. None of it makes any sense right now, but I got an odd feeling when I showed it to that girl in the crystal that she was very excited to see it. For some reason that also makes me really happy.' A mental sigh made itself apparent on his face. 'So many things still aren't making any sense to me. How the hell did I get here? Who or _what_ sent me here? And why? So amy questions and no answers in sight.' He thought as he leaned on the counter and waited.

"Here you are." The man came out with a stack of five books all wrapped up together neatly with some sturdy string.

"Thanks." Matt grabbed it and made his way out.

"Thank you for your business." The old man said before the door closed.

"Well that was simple." Matt was slightly relived by that as his brisk walk to the station continued.

However all said relief was chucked out a window as he passed by a girl with a despaired look on her face. She was sitting on a park bench all alone in a yellow skirt, brown top and yellow shoes.

'Don't do it Matt. It's not your problem. It'll solve itself. You can't do this every time you see these kinds of things.' He adamantly thought as his role wasnt to help _everyone._

Unfortunately, the teen gave one more glance at the girl and what he saw shook his entire being to its core.

There was no longer a little girl sitting at a bench.

In her place was another depressed teenage girl going through her blatant phase with dyed hair, black clothing and lots of… well black everything.

She sniffled as she rubbed her nose yet again. Young heartbreak strikes the young girl's heart for the first time, and she just didn't know how to handle it. She didn't know who to talk to, how to talk about it or even if she should talk about it. A nasty spiral of negativity that was eating her up.

That was until an older teen sat next to her.

This 17 year-old with short light brown hair that would make most people think of milk chocolate got in a rather comfortable position as he licked an ice cream cone.

Matt knew this man well, as they were one in the same. However something was… different. If he compared the looks each of their eyes held, the old him had much more control of himself. Like his emotions had been tamed and were fully under his jurisdiction. Nowadays though? It felt like everything flip-flopped and remained stuck on senseless things.

"So, how'd he do it?" The teen inquired to the girl.

"... Text Message." She bluntly responded.

In response the boy let out a hiss of pain, he knew that kind of feeling a bit too well himself.

The girl look up at the boy with a slight scowl.

"What the hell is that on your face?" Her anger rose as she saw the decoration on her brother's face.

"What? Do I have a spider?! Get it off!" He feigned ignorance to her growing annoyance.

"I mean those stupid glasses with that dumb big nose and mustache!"

"Ah." He nodded and removed the Groucho glasses, "I'll have you know these are the pinnacle of high-brow comedy, but I don't expect someone that finds no amusement from Christian Bale blowing his gasket on set to understand."

Knowing she'd never get an inch, the girl shifted the conversation to the other thing her annoying older brother had with him.

"What? Didn't get me one too?" She dryly chided him as he enjoyed the ice cream.

"Don't you give me that fake sass, you're lactose intolerant." He took a lick of the vanilla, "But you're also the type that doesn't eat anything processed, because you believe "The Man" puts bad stuff in them." The boy returned with his own jab.

"…They do though." She pouted and looked away from the teen.

"Yeah, yeah, and Fall Out Boy will get back together." He rolled his eyes.

"THEY WILL DAMNIT!" She yelled at the boy who lazily plugged an ear with his pinkie.

With the girl thoroughly occupied with his nonsense, the older teen changed the subject to what he was actually there for.

"Look, relationships with boys and girls are but temporary things, but you know what's eternal?" he reached into his pocket. "Watching how a bunch of idiots waste millions of dollars on a bad horror film." He widely grinned as he held a pair of tickets in his hand. "I hear Grudge 3 has a ton of bad gore effects and plenty of awful acting. You in?"

The girl looked at the tickets in surprise for a moment. "Sure I guess." She looked away, not daring to make eye contact as her face morphed into a faint smile, the pieces of her brothers actions falling into place.

"Well c'mon then," he stood. "We gotta get some candy from the dollar store first to hide in all those useless pockets of yours."

The girl decked his leg, eliciting a yelp from him. "They're fashion damnit."

He rubbed the spot she hit with a cheeky grin, "Alright, geez, let's just get going already."

She stood and followed the older boy closely.

"Hey Matt." She barely muttered.

"Hm?" He responded while looking ahead.

"Thanks."

The younger sibling half-hugged him as they continued walking, any thoughts of breakups overwritten by bad movies.

"Any time Little Sis."

* * *

Matt bit his lip and dug his nails into his hand and drew blood, using every single ounce of willpower to keep himself from losing it in the middle of the street.

'Goddamnit… why?! Why am I remembering this now?!' He roared at the mind that dared to bring up his old life in that manner.

The vestige of the sister he missed so dearly was gone now, and in her place was the familiar girl who was still just as lost and sad.

Was this the universe telling him to help her? Was that sliver of his own mind demanding he give back to the world that part of him still desires to abandon? No… he refused to believe such a ridiculous notion. It was impossible for such a minute thing to have such a strong hold of his mind… right?

After standing there for what must've been a good bit, sifting through the maelstorm of his mind, Matt finally decided on what to do next after a sigh escaped his lips.

"Hello there little lady, what's wrong?" He squatted and asked her gently.

"I... can't find my mama." She said with evident depression.

'Well at least it doesn't involve a Dark Guild.' Matt mentally sighed in relief.

"Well when did you last see her?" He inquired.

"A few months ago." She recalled while fighting off the tears.

And immediately that relief he felt was horribly murdered via firing squad in his mind.

Matt stood and scratched his head before sighing, knowing what he needed to do next.

"Stay here okay?"

The girl didn't even respond as Matt went back to the shop.

"Oh? Is something wrong?" The owner asked.

"No, I just need to know if you have some paper and a pen I can borrow." He placed the books on the counter.

"Of course." The old man reached under the desk and pulled out the requested items.

Matt quickly wrote something on it and returned the pen.

"Thanks a ton for this." The teen slid the paper under the cover of the first book. The corner of it stuck out so it could be easily noticed.

"Of course sir, come back any time."

Matt exited the building and noticed the girl was still there. He pulled out Winged Kuriboh.

"Kuri!"

"Take this back to Master at the Guild for me." He handed them to the flying fuzzball.

"Kuri!" It nodded before flying off.

Matt saw it off before sighing and slapping his face with both hands.

"Alright then, time to deal with a missing parent for once."

Matt approached the girl once more.

"Do you know where your Mama was when she was here?" At the girls head shake, he racked his brain for other options.

"What's your mama's name?"

"Grammi." She barely muttered.

'Okay that's good. A name does a lot for looking for someone.' He went through the mental paces.

"What does she look like?"

"She looks like... an older me." The girl began to sniffle thinking about her missing mother.

'Alright, green hair is pretty distinct.'

"Is your mama a mage?"

A nod was all he got in response which immediately made some nervous tension leave his body.

'Well that fact just made this much easier, I have a good idea where to go now.' He mentally let out a sigh of relief at the much easier job on his hands now.

"C'mon, I think I know where we can look for your mama." He extended his hand out to the girl.

"Re-really?" She looked up at him, the faint glimmer of hope returning to her eyes.

"Yup! I'm a pretty resourceful guy, so I know we'll find her!" He smiled widely at the girl. "I'm Matthew by the way. But everyone calls me Matt. What's your name?"

The girl took his hand without much hesitation. "Brandish Mu."

"Well then Brandish, let's go find your mama." He spoke warmly to her.

"Okay!" She happily smiled.

The pair walked off to the Rune Knight station in town.

* * *

"Here you go sir." The man handed Matt a folder.

After Matt had presented his Guild Stamp and told the man what happened, he quickly went to find any recent documentation related to her. In the meantime, Brandish was occupying herself with some toys they had.

'Let's see here. Independent Mage. Early 30s. Celestial Wizard. Ah! Affiliations: Heartfilia Family. Huh. Well that certainly speeds this up.' Thankful that the universe seemed to be going easy on him for once, he handed the document back to the man.

"Thank you, I got a good idea where to go next." He smiled at the older man.

"Oh it's no trouble. I just hope that girl is reunited with her mother." He spoke with clear pity.

"Don't worry, I'm on the case y'know." The teen pointed to himself with a grin.

"Yes, I suppose the King would have no issues with this eh?" He smiled cheekily at the teen to his dismay.

"Please don't use that nickname." Matt groaned as be approached Brandish. "Let's go, I think I found some people that know your mama."

Brandish smiled and walked out with him. They made their way to the train station where Matt got them tickets. The Heartfilia manor was not far at all from the main rail line in the country, so the job will probably get done by the end of the day... he hoped.

"Are you a Mage?" Brandish asked curiously as the train made its way to their destination.

"Mm-hm. I'm part of Fairy Tail." Matt showed her his Guild Stamp.

"Oooo. What magic do you use?" Her child-like curiousity was front-and-center.

Matt pulled out a card and summoned Kuriboh. Sure it wasn't his only magic, but gling into the intricacies about replication magic is not exactly an entertaining topic.

Brandish's face lit up like a light as she looked at the monster.

"So cute!" She hugged the fuzz ball, nuzzling it with a wide smile to the surprise of Matt and Kuriboh.

"I guess my magic is kinda like your mom's. These cards let me summon the Spirit associated with them." Matt explained simply as the girl froze like a statue.

"Do… you have any mean fish ladies?" Brandish asked, practically petrified.

"Uhhh. No." Matt tilted his head and a raised a brow.

The tension visibly left the girl's body as quick as it had come. Her cuddling of the creature in her arms continuing.

"So where are you from Brandish?" He tried to strike conversation.

"I'm from across the ocean." She simply said.

"As in from Caelum?"

She shook her head. "I've never heard of that place."

Matt pondered for a moment as he recalled something he'd overheard from one of the traders in Magnolia. "Are you from the Western Continent?"

She thought about his wording for a second and then nodded.

"Wow, that place ain't really talked about a lot around here. What's it like?" Now the teen was genuinely interested.

The girl shrugged, "It's nothing special, the person who us supposed to live in that huge castle isn't ever there is what my mama told me."

'A country without the king present? That's certainly odd.'

"There's a lot of desert. I don't like the desert." She pouted, her face half-visible above the Kuriboh she still hugged.

"Oh? Do you get allergies?" He took a vague guess.

She nodded causing Matt to chuckle. This current body of his did not fortunately possess the same allergies his old one did, so he'd forgotten all about hay fever.

"Yeah the desert ain't fun. We don't have one around here. It's all mostly big forests, mountains, snow and the ocean in Fiore." He recalled the various landscapes he'd seen over the years.

"That sounds nice." She thought about his words, trying to visualize them.

"Yeah, though it gets pretty cold in parts of Fiore since it's right by the water." Matt remembers his first winter here being particularly brutal. Gray took to it like a fish in water. Kagura, Cama and Erza all handled it okay. Matt worried for Natsu a bit though since the season was right around the corner.

"So what's your-" Matt went to ask, but he saw the girl had fallen asleep. He smiled at the rather innocent sight. Kuriboh certainly didn't mind being her pillow, bless the little guys bleeding heart and ridiculously deep voice. That still threw Matt off from time to time. It was like if Morgan Freeman and Sam Elliot had a vocal love child.

As he and Brandish rode the train, a figure atop the vehicle glanced down at where they were, primal fury on the cusp of being unleashed, but now was not the time. To the man's relief however, the time would soon come to complete his revenge for Layla Heartfilia.

* * *

Brandish yawned as Matt picked her up and carried her piggyback after they exited the train. She'd practically gotten no sleep ever since coming here to find her Mama. The girl honestly had no idea what she was gonna do if Matt hadn't shown up.

She still softly slept on his back, his heartbeat soothing her. It reminded her of whenever her Mama came home late and she'd tried to stay up late to welcome her home. She'd be half-asleep and her Mama would carry her to her bed just like this. By the time her Mama got her to her room, she'd already be out like a light thanks to her heartbeat.

Matt didn't wanna wake up Brandish as they entered the insanely massive property of the Heartfilia family. Thankfully he didn't have to walk for a long time before he came across a maid, exiting what he assumed was a supply shed.

"Excuse me ma'am." He approached her.

"Oh, may I help you?"

"I'm looking for someone named Grammi. She's a Independent Celestial Spirt Mage with an association here."

The maid racked her brain momentarily before frowning.

"I'm sorry sir, but the person who could best tell you about matters like that is Mrs. Heartfilia, and…" She suddenly stopped as a lump in her throat formed.

"Is something wrong?" He tilted his head.

"Mrs. Heartfilia passed away a month ago."

"Oh." He teen stood there, surprised by that blunt truth, "My sincerest apologies for bringing up bad memories then." Matt bowed his head in apology.

"Oh no no, I should apologize for bringing it up, it's not what you needed to hear." She waved her hands. "Unfortunately outside of that, I'm afraid I, nor anyone else here, can help you."

"Do you at least know when she was last here?" If he could at least get a rough timeline, then he could maybe trace her steps.

"Well if the person you're looking for is that girls mother, than someone resembling her came around about three weeks after Mrs. Heartfilia fell ill. After that, she left as quick as she came."

"I see..." 'Take off time for the boat ride from the Western Continent to here and that adds up.' Matt sighed. "Thank you for your help anyways." He bowed once more before leaving.

'It doesn't make sense then. If she stopped by and left in a hurry then why didn't she return home?' Matt paused and stopped moving. Based on how Brandish is, she clearly loved her daughter, that means either something else came up, which he doubted since all signs pointed to this place being her primary stop. 'Unless…' His eyes widened as the truth finally dawned upon him. Grammi wasn't missing, she was dead.

A rustle in the trees by Matt drew him from that thought. His gut screamed at him to jump away, so he did, just in the nick of time as a figure divekicked the spot he was formerly at.

A goat man wearing a suit was standing atop the broken ground where Matt and Brandish had been.

"Who are you?" He asked placing himself more prominently in front of the sleeping Brandish.

"I'm here for the girl. Hand her over or die." His tone dripped with malice as Matt could physically feel the bloodlust coming from the thing in front of him. Thankfully, fighting Serena had made him immune to such an intimidation.

"How about you answer my questions first Goat Boy." Matt retaliated without fear.

"Silence! Hand her over! I must also rid the world of the spawn of the woman who killed Layla Heartfilia!" The man did a full 180 in his tone as he roared at the teen.

Matt eyes widened at that information. He then remained silent while he walked over to a nearby tree and placed Brandish down against it. His face covered in shadow and his back to the murderer behind him.

"Good. I'm glad you see it-" As the goat man approached, Matt had spontaneously moved from where the girl was to him and delivered a punch with enough force to send him crashing through numerous trees, the bottoms of the teens feet and the inside of his glove glowing the entire time.

The Fundamental Rune for Force was carved into the soles of his shoes, allowing for a colossal short-distance speed boost that allowed him to quickly catch opponents off-guard. Meanwhile the Fundamental Rune for hardening was on the inside of the glove, making the material to be like steel.

Matt fixed his stance and summoned Dark Magician. "Guard her while I take out the trash." He didn't even see if his loyal partner responded as he marched into the forest to finish what he had started. Not even a shred of mercy or sympathy was present in his gaze as he continued through the forest, shattered trees guiding him.

The Magician watched his Master disappear into the treeline before directing his attention to the girl behind him.

"You can stop faking that now." He spoke without averting his gaze.

Brandish slowly stood up, having been awake since arriving at the Heartfilia property. The girl remained silent as she gazed in the direction Matt and her mother's murder went. After a moment, she began to follow them, her trek stopped by Dark Magician's staff blocking her path.

"And what are you planning to do?" He asked the girl.

"… Please." One word was all she could muster up as a response.

"Please, what?"

"I… I need to know." She clenched her small fists in frustration.

"What do you need to know that you haven't already been told?"

"I need to know why. Why? Why did he kill my mama?" A typhoon of emotions and thoughts tore the girl's mind asunder. "Please, I deserve to know." She pleaded with the spirit.

"…" He gazed at her for a moment before sighing.

When Matt got to the bastard, he was barely staying up on all fours, coughing up blood rather violently.

"So, you killed her mother did you?" Matt asked, just to confirm what he heard from this _thing_ was correct.

"Of course I did! Because that bitch wasn't there, Layla got sick and died!" The monster didn't even attempt to butter up the situation to try and sway Matt to have mercy.

"So, you're blaming her illness on someone's absence and feel the need to not only kill her, but her innocent daughter too?" Matt wanted to make absolutely sure there was no need to show even the faintest idea of mercy or courtesy.

"Naturally-" Matt kicked him in the face before he could finish, pure rage seeped from him. The man twisted midair and launched himself from a tree in retaliation, blood cascading from his nose.

"Bastard!" He went for an attack, but Matt had again vanished. By the time he realized the teen was a fair distance away with his bow drawn, it was too late for him to do anything.

The arrow smashed into the goat man, audibly breaking bone. He collided against a nearby rock wall hard, leaving an indentation in it. As Matt approached to finish the job, something unexpected happen.

"Kill me!" The man suddenly shouted in not only a different tone, but even the feeling he gave off was different. This caused Matt to stop in his tracks cautiously.

"What?" Matt was genuinely dumbfounded as he couldn't tell if this was the single greatest ploy in history, or something was very wrong.

"I'm not who you think I am." He clutched at his head in clear pain. "I am a Celestial Spirit being possessed by a madman!"

'That certainly explains the look.' He scowled at the Spirit.

"Please kill me before he makes me do something I'll regret forever!" Capricorn begged the teen to end him.

"How would you die though? Won't you return to the Spirit World?" He vaguely recalled how Celestial Spirit magic worked.

"No!" He groaned in pain. "Because of the possession, my spirit cannot return to the Spirit World. He broke a taboo, but he's never been pushed this far so his hold weakened momentarily. Now kill me I beg you!" Just as he finished pleading for death, the other personality took hold.

'Shit. Well now this just even more complicated.' Matt clicked his tongue. 'I can't kill this asshole now since he's possessing that damn Spirit. More importantly: if he uses Possessin Magic, then close range is a bad idea. I got my test drive out for those new combat runes anyways. Best course of action for now is to disable him temporarily and figure out something more long-term later.'

Matt prepared his bow for another attack when he heard sniffles from behind him. Brandish had been there the entire time. Dark Magician was by her side with a guilty expression on his face.

"Get the hell out of here! You're both vulnerable to his magic!" He fired an arrow at the Goat who dodged and leapt into the forest, out of his sight. "Come on!" He recalled Dark Magician and carried Brandish in his arms as he ran.

"Is what he said true? Did the person controlling that goat kill my mama because of some woman?" The poor girl was barely hanging on to not ugly crying at this point, the full truth having been laid out to her.

'This is bad. If she starts wailing, that bastard will find us. I gotta get us out of here!' Matt's mind raced as he tried to figure out his next course of action.

He didn't get a chance to respond as a group of Knights began to chase the two. Matt gripped one of his new swords in his free hand, a fairly slim blade with no guard and black handle that was incredibly lightweight.

He kicked off one tree and decapitated one Knight with a midair twist, stabbing the blade into the headless torso afterwards. Immediately landing and impaling another with another copy of that sword as he ditched said blade in the creature and continued running.

The teen began to throw and impale the Knights that gave chase into the trees and ground, immobilizing them for the time being.

Seeing a duo of knights with axes blocking his path, Matt instead sped up as the duo swung the oversized weapons. Holding Brandish as close as possible and free forming a duo of blades midair, he perfectly passed between the swings and kicked the free falling blades into the Knights as he rolled into a continued sprint.

Matt once more summoned that same sword from earlier as he heard the trees to his right rustle, the familiar murder launching himself at the duo with a group of his Knights.

"Die!" The Goat dived right at them.

Stuffing as many of the slim swords between his fingers as he could, Matt kicked off a tree and dodged the Goat midair. All the while, with impressive precision, he stabbed each knight with the quickly lightening cluster of metal weapons that populated his free hand.

All of this occured in the span of mere seconds, more than enough time for the Celestial Spirit body Zoldeo possessed to recover and launch another attack while Matt was still in the air.

Matt threw the final sword in his hand at the man, which he easily dodged, but didn't notice the vague smirk upon Matt's face in his murderous glee. The Goat's cocky smile soon turned into confusion as he suddenly fell to the ground, all momentum spontaneously lost on top of the fact he couldn't move even the smallest muscle.

"Wh-wha?" He tried to move, but found himself barely able to even talk. The knights which had been impaled had all also stopped moving as well, mirroring his movements perfectly.

Matt didn't even respond or capitalize on this chance as he continued to run away from the goat, his goal achieved for the time being.

"I WILL FIND YOU!!!" He roared with unbridled rage at the two.

'Thank you Fundamental Runes.' The teen thanked the first combination rune he'd learned. By taking the runes for binding and shadow and tinkering with the manner they'd combine, Matt effectively created a rune that could bind a target as long as the binding agent, in this case those light and easily throwable swords, was in their shadow.

After escaping, Matt just kept running and running, not stopping until they were somehow two towns over. On the outskirts of the nearby town, he finally stopped and placed the girl down. He breathed pretty heavily as she just stood there, silent.

"Why?" She asked.

"..." Matt didn't respond.

"Why didn't you kill him!!" Tears rolled down her cheeks. Matt couldn't tell if they were tears of sorrow, or tears of frustration. Either one being justifiable in this situation.

"I couldn't do it without killing the Spirit he's possessing. Innocent people don't deserve something as rough as death." He explained rather plainly.

"I DON'T CARE!!!" She roared so loudly he could tell her throat was in pain.

He stared at the mess of a girl at him for a moment before responding.

"Would you be able to live with it?" He bluntly asked.

"Live with what?"

"Knowing that you did something your mother would never want you to. Spilling blood for her when she would've wanted you to live in peace."

"Shut up!! You don't know me or my mama!!"

"You're right, I don't." He nodded at her words.

Brandish looked confused by the lack of his rebuttal.

"But I know what it's like to loose people you love. I must've been half your age when it happened to me. Waking up by myself in the middle of the woods. No idea where I was or what happened. My family was gone. My home was gone. Everything I ever knew and loved was gone. Like that." He snapped his fingers. "At first I was confused. "Why did this happen to me?" Then, I was angry. "Who did this to me?" Next, I was scared. "I wanna go home." Lastly, I was sad. "I miss my family." So many questions and feelings raced through my head I could hardly believe it. Nothing made any sense at all anymore." Nothing had made any sense back then to Matt. Hell, some things still don't make any sense, but at least his bearings had been caught.

"Did you ever find your family?" She asked between sniffles.

"...Nope." He bluntly admitted before bitterly sighing, "And I don't think I ever will." Matt sadly admitted.

"How do you live with it then?!" She less demanded an answer from him, and moreso begged for one. "How do you go on being all alone?!"

"All alone eh?" Those words rang true to a more pessimistic side of Matt, but that was something a little girl didn't need to see. "Well, having a group of people that look out for me when I'm down certainly helps. It's amazing what having some people that'll pick you up whenever you fall can do." He smiled at the girl. "Do you want that too?"

Brandish didn't respond as she quickly latched onto him and poured out her grief. He held her close, letting her know he wasn't going to be letting go.

'This rain... I'm getting sick of it.' A seed, long dormant in Matthew Atlas sprouted that day. One that would grow into a fierce anger towards those who would enact their malice upon innocents for their own devices.

Once the girl's floodgates dried, he stood and extended his hand as she wiped her wet eyes.

"C'mon then, let's go."

"Where?"

"Home." He smiled as she took his hand and they made their way back to Magnolia under the beautiful sunset.

* * *

"Damnit! Damnit!! DAMNIT!!! When I find that bastard I'll kill him!" Zoldeo roared in fury as he was still stuck after hours a d hours. Nothing he did worked. He tried every possible route and nothing worked. Magic, physical power, waiting, it all failed!

"I see you're in a bind."

The body snatcher could barely move his eyes in order to see an old man in robes standing nearby.

"Who are you?" He growled.

"Someone that can free you and give you what you want, if you assist me that is." He spoke ominously.

A mere second of hesitation passed before he nodded, making his deal with the devil.

The old man walked over and broke the sword impaled into his shadow, causing it to dissipate into Ethernano and return to the planet.

"Binding via shadow eh? Clever." He praised the work of whoever did this. Naturally he needed no such tricks, but a Mage can admire the cunning of another Mage regardless of power or standing.

"Who are you?" The Goat asked as he stood and moved his sore limbs.

"I am Hades, master of Grimoire Heart."

* * *

"I'm back!" Matt lazily kicked open the doors to the guild the next day. A series of cheers and greetings came from his guild mates as he strolled across the building, Brandish in tow.

"Looks like Mama Duck added another to the flock." A snide remark came from one of his guild mates as they took notice of the girl latched to his side.

'I swear those guys are lucky I don't hit them… more than I do these days.' What? It wasn't his fault they'd been pretty annoying lately with the whole "King" shtick and how the young teen was oddly popular amongst older women. And by "older women" the teen meant 30-somethings. It seems as though the preconception of the whole "Christmas Cake" thing was around in Ishgar. Matt never understood that in his old life and he still doesn't these days.

"Yo, Master." He greeted the older man at the bar casually.

"Ah, good to see you're back Matthew." He glanced at the younger girl and gave a look to Matt, wordlessly inquiring about the note he left in the book.

The teen subtly moved a hand up by his throat and swung his thumb across it.

Makarov understood the gesture with a sad nod before directing his attention to Brandish.

"Well young lady, can you tell me your name?" He smiled at the girl who nervously hid behind Matt.

"Brandish Mu."

"Well Brandish, do you happen to know any magic?" He inquired.

"Ah, I don't think she-" Matt went to respond, but was cut off by himself as he blinked awkwardly at the sight before his eyes. "Well that's uh… new."

"Hm? What is it?" The old man seemed genuinely confused by some odd looks coming his way.

"Ah! There you are Matt!" Natsu excitedly yelled as he rushed at the teen before stopping with his mouth agape at the sight before him. "GRAMPS! HOW ARE YOU GONNA DRINK OUT OF THAT?!"

Natsu pointed the the mug of alcohol next to the man that went up to the second floor in terms of its size.

"HUH?!" The old man had wondered why he couldn't lift the mug just a moment ago.

"That's some pretty impressive Magic." Matt marveled at the sight as Brandish sheepishly avoided looking at him.

Makarov however, saw different potential.

"I can have all the booze I want with this-" The old man was cut off by Matt smacking the back of his head with a paper fan.

"Don't exploit your mages for cheap alcohol." He chided the older man.

"I'm sowwy." He muttered with his head in the wood.

Afterwards the whole joining process went smoothly for the girl. She'd received her green guild stamp on her right forearm. She gazed at the stamp as she sat at a lone table, needing some alone time after the events of yesterday. Unfortunately for her, another girl wasn't so willing to let her be alone.

"Hi there!" Kagura smiled at the girl who was suddenly broken from her train of thought. "I'm Kagura Mikazuchi! What's your name?"

The greenette was stunned by the forward attitude of the girl for a bit before answering.

"Brandish Mu." She plainly responded.

"Oh! So you're the person Big Brother brought back!" She smiled as she realized who the girl in front of her was. "That means you and I are like sisters!" The parallel caused the greenette to spit take.

"H-Hold on a minute! Just because Matt brought us both to the guild doesn't mean anything like that!"

"Hm? Why not?"

Brandish couldn't tell if she was being brutally honest or being cheeky.

"Well the reasoning is simple, just because Big Brother-" She immediately realized what she'd done after saying that as the point-of-no-return had been crossed. Especially from nosy onlookers of the guild paying close attention and never letting such slip ups go.

Brandish had permanently locked herself in the same camp as the girl in front of her.

Outwardly she naturally tried to object and only conceded after enough time and puppy dog eyes. On the inside however? She didn't mind it whatsoever. In fact you could even say she enjoyed the idea. Being an only child, Brandish always wanted siblings, but since her father died before her birth, that option was never on the table.

The young girl was… happy. She had found a home and a family once again.

* * *

September came and went to give birth to a favorite holiday amongst the guild: Halloween. Apparently the origins of the holiday were pretty similar to how they were back in Matt's world, just replace Gaelic countries with Caelum and you're basically good to go.

With all the kids and teens in the guild now, dressing up and candy became a much larger role compared to Matt's early years where it was only partying with some spooky flair. It was kinda dull to the teen if he was being honest.

"Boo!" Natsu tried to scare some of the slightly tipsy older members of the guild to no avail. He was dressed up as a big bat, though he just called it a "hairy dragon". No one bothered questioning the logic as it was Natsu.

"Heh, looks like eraser head over there can't scare anyone." Gray shook his head with a smirk as he dressed up like an eskimo.

"You wanna say that again fish breath?!" The boy immediately took to starting a fight.

The duo continued the usual antics before they were stopped by a barely-mobile knight, back handing the both of them to the floor.

"Mrph frmem im pah gil." This person was also incapable of moving the face guard of the helmet to make their words more audible.

Natsu and Grey didn't even respond as they'd actually been smashed by real metal armor and were unconscious.

Macao and Wakaba dressed as a Werewolf and Frankenstein's Monster respectively sighed at the sight.

"Erza can't even move her arms enough to take off the helmet." The bluenette scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"Eh it's fine, Matt'll help her if she needs it."

"Speaking of Matt, where is he?" He looked around the guild for the teen, not seeing him anywhere.

The duo approached the bar where a prop Mummy had been stationed there. Likely as a joke by Matt or Master to make people blend their own booze tonight. Master was unfortunately handling some council business and couldn't party for the time being.

"Man this Mummy is really good for a prop." The smoker looked at the still thing, leaning against the counter with its head down.

They both sat down for a moment.

"What're you buyin?" It spoke with glowing red eyes at the duo.

""KYAHHHH!!"" The duo cried in terror as they hugged themselves and fell to the floor.

"AHAHAHAHA!!!" The mummy cackled as it pounded its fist on the counter and held its belly.

"M-Matt?!" Macao cried out, recognizing that voice.

"You want him you got him, what's up?" He moved the bandages a bit to reveal his eyes and mouth, still twisted into a grin.

"How the hell did you do that?!" Wakaba cried out as he desperately tried to recall if he swallowed a cigarette or not.

"Patience my friend. Lots and lots of patience." The teen sagely nodded at them.

As the trio continued speaking, Brandish sat off to the side, not opting to dress up as she found that idea rather dull. However her prudent snacking on sweets was a definite contrast to her dismissal of the holiday.

"Does her not dressing up but eating the candy make her more mature than us, or less mature?" Cana pondered while dressed up like a cowgirl.

"Eheheh, I couldn't say." Kagura awkwardly chuckled while dressed up like a princess.

Freed, dressed up like a vampire, sat at a table with Bickslow. The older teen's idea of a costume being a paper bag over his head.

"It seems as though everyone is enjoying themselves, I didn't expect the guild to get so lively though outside of new member parties." Freed looked around with a faint smile.

"Well I'd be surprised if they didn't. Rumor has it these guys have partied through some wild things."

""Wild things!"" His babies emphasized from behind him.

"Yo, Freed! Bickslow! You two want anything to drink?!" Matt shouted at them from the bar.

"No I'm fine, thank you though!" The former politely declined.

"Pass." Bickslow looked the other way from Matt.

This didn't go unnoticed to the other teen with him.

"I've been wondering about that, why do you avoid Matt? Did he say or do something to offend you?"

Bickslow sighed as he knew the question would eventually come up.

"No, it's nothin' like that. I don't have anything against him, hell I even kinda like him." He admitted to Freed's confusion.

"Then I don't understand."

"He just… creeps me out." The bluenette bitterly admitted.

"How so?" Matt being creepy? That was news to Freed.

"Look, my eye magic lets me see people's souls. So whenever I get bored, I look at them to see what they're like for everyone. Young people got lively souls bursting with energy and older people have calmer souls." He explained to the greenette.

"But, I took a glance at Matt's soul a while back and what I saw was…" He shuddered as a chill went up his spine.

"What did you see?" Freed was genuinely captivated by the story.

"His body is about your age, but his soul? That thing puts the old man's to shame in terms of age. It was practically motionless, like a statue."

"What? But how is that possible?"

"I dunno man, but it's gotta be at least five times as old as Master's."

The pair remained silent as they wondered just who or what Matt was.

The night proceeded as normal after this until the closing hours came and someone had come to a "brilliant" revelation.

"Natsu! Get down here with all the candy!" Erza yelled at the boy, her helmet off after reluctant assistantance from Matt.

"Nope! A Dragon must have his hoard!" Natsu was currently sitting on the rafters of the building with a big bag of candy that was meant to be distributed to the younger members.

"I'll get him down!" Gray was about to use his magic, most likely to massive property damage costs.

"No need." Matt spoke as he walked over with a chair in-hand.

"Bwahahaha! Nothing will take this candy from me-" Natsu was stopped mid-speech by a chair smashing into his head with scary precision. He then fell to the ground and left a Natsu-sized hole in the floor.

Matt easily caught the candy and handed it to Erza as they all stared at the property damage.

"…Welp, I'm gonna punch my card and call it a night." He started to walk to his room.

"DON'T JUST AVOID DOING WORK!" Makarov shouted at him from upstairs, having heard the commotion.

After a long debate, it was decided Natsu would fix the hole as long as Matt told him how to do it. Granted, there were many bruised thumbs as Natsu's hand-eye was not the best. Many nails, hammers and boards were harmed in the fixing if that hole.

And thus concluded another Halloween for the guild.

* * *

The next holiday the guild celebrated was Thanksgiving. The origins of this mostly date back to early Pergrandian's and what would eventually become Dragnof making peace and sharing their culture. Nothing spectacular, but sometimes the simple meanings had the most importance.

Matt wasn't the biggest fan of this holiday in particular as it meant he, as the only decent cook, had to make enough food to feed an entire guild and a Natsu. Needless to say, he didn't stop cooking for over 18 hours.

The only help he received was from Erza and Kagura who helped chop up ingredients. Other members carried ready food to the massive makeshift table in the guild. Brandish had enlarged a napkin to act as their tablecloth.

"Is this the last of it?" Gray asked Matt as he pulled out the last of a dozen turkeys he'd made from the oven.

"Yup." Matt's hollow eyes bored holes into the accursed bird he never wished to see again.

"R-right then, I'll let them know you're just about ready." The younger boy desperately wished to avoid Matt as he pulled out a knife.

"Yes. You do that." A murderous smile came over his face as he carved into the dead bird ferociously, relieving some of the latent stress.

After a few, glorious, bird murdering minutes, Matt exited the kitchen with the last of the food and placed it on the table. He requipped away the apron and took a seat near the head of the table to Makarov's right.

The old man cleared his throat, "Firstly I'd like to thank everyone who decided to spend today with all of us. I know how hard it can be for some of you to be away from family, but I appreciate that you're willing to give this family some time as well. Secondly, I'd like everyone to give thanks to our wonderful Chef, Matthew for spending so much time to make sure all of this food would be ready for us."

Some words of thanks were given to the teen as Erza had to physically hold Natsu back from diving into the food, stars flying around his eyes as he stared at the feast.

Makarov chuckled at the sight, "Well then, let's not wait any longer and dig in-" He was cut off from the door suddenly opening.

At the door was a teen with green pants, a long sleeved black undershirt with a short sleeved yellow over shirt. His blonde hair was cut short and a distinct lightning bolt scar draped the right side of his face.

"Laxus?" Makarov seemed genuinely surprised his grandson would be here, let alone when Matt was.

The two teen's made eye contact as Makarov legitimately thought he'd have to break up a nasty fight.

Matt waved at the teen, "Yo, good to see ya. You're just in time, we were about to start eating, so grab a seat."

Laxus stared at him for a moment before pocketing his hands and taking a seat across from Matt at the table, already starting to dig in.

To say Makarov was shocked would he an understatement. He never thought he'd see these two in the same room again, let alone getting along just fine.

"U-Uh, yes, everyone dig in to the food!" He absentmindedly remembered to speak as everyone else started to devour the food in front of them.

The rest of the day went without incident. Laxus left after he was done eating and didn't say a thing. A few members stuck around to help on clean up and Matt also went to bed without even feeling the need to speak about the blonde.

In fact after that, Laxus had begun to stick around more often when Matt was present. Makarov couldn't believe his Grandson was so… mellow. He'd been gone for a few months on a job not long before the Tournament, so Makarov expected the worst when he returned. So seeing his Grandson whose temper was akin to his own back in the old days be so collected was oddly concerning. Makarov was thinking about asking Freed, who had a similar calm personality to Matt, stick around Laxus and keep an eye on him.

As for Laxus and Matt? Well the two coexisted together. They just never talked. Matt was fine with that honestly. He was just glad the older teen had maybe grown past what happened all those years ago now. But only time will tell if this was all for another purpose or not.

* * *

Christmas was certainly unique this year. Because of the massive influx of younger members, Makarov thought it'd be a great idea if someone was a Secret Santa. Unfortunately Macao and Wakaba refused along with most of the other male members over 18, Reedus left to visit some family in the north, Laxus wasn't an option and Makarov complained about his back. Which left only one option.

"Why do I get all the dirty jobs." Matt groaned as he crawled in the rafters of Fairy Hills. First, he needed to deliver the presents to all the girls, then go to each of the guys houses and deliver their presents. All in the span of eight friggin' hours. Matt will never question the work Santa puts in ever again.

Matt pulled out a piece of paper. "Okay so all the girls on the first two floors are down and the west hall is done, so that just leaves… Erza."

He crawled through the rafters and opened a secret hatch in the ceiling. What? He could have things in here others didn't need to know about. He always wanted to be a ninja anyways when he was a kid.

He dropped to the ground without making a sound. The redhead was sound asleep based on her breathing. Matt quickly pulled out her present with Requip and quietly placed it on her desk.

"No, don't go." Matt froze when he heard the girl speak. Thankfully, she was sleep talking if her closed eyes were any indication.

"Please, don't leave me." Matt looked at her with sorrowful eyes. She must've been having a nightmare.

The redhead kicked the sheets lower as she moved around harshly. Matt softly approached her once it had died down and tucked her in once more and kissed her forehead.

"Sleep well." He softly whispered to her and then left. If he had stayed, he would've seen her face turn into a smile as her nightmare ended.

* * *

"Haaa." Matt yawned as he opened up the guild. Overall he got about two hours of sleep and it showed... okay in his body language, not his face. The smell of the giant pine tree Master had placed there with his magic somewhat helped to stir him. It was decorated with lights, ornaments, including little ornaments with each of the Guild Members names on them.

"Merry Christmas Matt!" Makarov cheerfully spoke as he entered.

"Merry Christmas Master." He responded after taking a swig of coffee. The teen needed the caffeine if he was gonna cook today too.

"So how'd it go?" He asked as he took a seat on the bar.

"It went. Finished it with two hours left." Having Makarov give him the address list certainly made the process easier. Thank god he'd learned the street names to the city a couple years ago, otherwise it would've been ten times harder.

Thankfully money still wasn't an issue. After his whole King of Games naming, he'd been approached by a few companies for sponsorship. Drinking their things, wearing some of their clothes using their playing cards, board games etc, had earned him a very pretty penny.

"Big Brother! Look what Santa got for me!" Kagura ran in as she held up a Katana and Wakazashi. They had a white sheath, red handle, gold guard and the blades themselves were top-quality. Kagura had come pretty far in her Swordsmanship, so Matt felt it was time she had something more personal instead of hand-me-downs from Erza.

"Oh? Santa is pretty reckless giving out weapons like that." Makarov teased Matt. As the "Santa", he chose the gifts guild members got. So he went in pretty hard for some of them based on what they'd probably like the most. Not like he's using that money for himself by any means.

"Don't bully Santa Master!" Kagura pouted at the old man who apologized.

Slowly the guild was filled by people talking about their presents.

Natsu had gotten a compass to aid in his search for Igneel and with a press of a button, it automatically told him how to get back to the guild. He ran off for a solid week before coming back the first time.

Gray, while not bringing it to the guild, was given a music box that played an old lullaby native to his old hometown. That was a tricky find for Matt as the place was utterly wrecked. Thankfully a few tips lead him to some old residents that assisted him. Gray had cried when he first heard it and would play it whenever he missed his family.

Levy got a pair of Gale-Force Reading Glasses to help her read faster. She'd use them for years to come.

Evergreen received a beautiful necklace with the outline of a fairy bringing it all together. She only wore it with her absolute best clothing, no exceptions.

Cana got a new deck of Magic Cards that gave her more variety and options with her spells. She'd keep using these even as an adult.

Jet got some good, sturdy shoes that'll survive his speed magic. He never threw them away even after outgrowing them.

Droy got a book about how plants grow so he could better understand his magic. The boy would credited it with his first breakthrough for his magic.

Macao got a book on relationship advice written by someone named Ichiya. For some reason Matt's eyes started violently bleeding when he heard that name. Macao walked into the guild after reading it a far more determined man with relationships.

Wakaba got that magic pipe he'd been talking about getting for when he felt the time was right. It'd be his go-to for years.

Bickslow got a set of sturdy objects that combined into a large star and were far faster. He'd only replace his babies with the totem after it broke.

Freed had received a book about Advanced Dark Écriture. He'd mentioned how he was going surprisingly fast though the advanced level of beginner. So Matt future-proofed him and saved his wallet from some stiff cash down the line. With that saved money Freed was able to buy himself a nice coat.

Laxus got a new set of high-quality headphones. While he would rather kill someone than admit it, he appreciated the gesture a lot. Not many people got him anything.

Makarov, while not requesting anything, received vacation tickets to a resort in Caelum. He'd be using those before too long, citing a "Master Gathering" that would take a couple weeks.

As everyone talked about their gifts and exchanged holiday cheer, Brandish had approached him.

"Hey, Merry Christmas Brandish." Matt smiled at the girl.

"Merry Christmas Big Brother." She muttered out the last half, still embarrassed by the idea of it.

Without wasting a second, Brandish went and hugged him tightly.

"I mean I'm not against the hug and all, but is there a reason?" He asked, trying to play off her not knowing he got her that gift.

"I know Santa isn't real dummy." She pouted before smiling.

"I see." Matt admitted defeat as he returned the hug.

Matt's gift to Brandish was locket that held the sole picture he could find of her mother. Christ, the hell he raised with Jude Heartfilia was the stuff of legend. Eventually he got into the photos stored and found one of her mother smiling gently with some other woman Matt assumed to be Layla. He may end up on the shit list of the Heartfilia Family forever, but that smile on Brandish's face was worth it.

After that ended and Brandish went off, Erza was surprisingly the last to enter the guild.

"Merry Christmas Erza." Matt smiled at the girl.

She silently took a seat next to him after smiling and nodding.

Her gift was a very simple one: a nice comb. Matt heard about how she complained that her hair kept getting knotted and a bit rough. He thought it was a shame, her hair was really pretty.

"I had a wonderful dream last night." She spoke as they looked out at the rest of the guild.

"Oh? What about?"

"I was running away from a horrible monster, when all of a sudden I was in the guild with everyone. They suddenly all started to disappear, one-by-one until I was the only one left."

Matt almost commented on how that was a nightmare.

"But at the very end, I was saved."

"By who?"

She smiled at him, "A wonderful angel."

Matt smiled at her as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Merry Christmas Matt."

"Yeah. Merry Christmas Erza."

**Welcome back to yet another chapter of this imminent catastrophe!**

**Holy shit this chapter was _long._ I did not expect it to break 10k while I was writing it, hence me writing at fucking 5 AM. So we got _a lot_ to discuss this time around so let's not waste any more of your guys' time!... if you even read these.**

**So first up we had Matt's rather... odd interaction with that crowd of people. I know I'd brought up how the 90% basically fuel the Wizard economy beforehand, but I definitely wanted to show a dash of it's dark underbelly. We'll be tackling this idea a fair bit very soon, so I wanted to introduce it to everyone beforehand.**

**A flash into what Matt's old life was seen. I definitely want to explore the contrast between the pair as more events happen to show off just how... drastic some of the changes are at times. We won't see these too often, but Matt's mind is a rather cruel mistress he doesn't fully understand. It's rather odd though, how can one not fully understand their own mind? Perhaps there's more to the story than he knows.**

**Next up is Brandish! She's definitely a fan favorite and a personal favorite, so I couldn't resist the idea of her being around more often. Her story has also taken a very sudden turn. Not only does she know how murdered her mother, but she also knows why they did it. This'll definitely have an effect on her growth as a character, but maybe it'll also twist some of her old views as well from how we know them. Time will certainly tell.**

**We got to see some of Matt's growth the past couple of months. From sneakily engraving runes into his clothes to developing more tactical options, the fun is only just starting as he learns an entire new language from scratch.**

**A series of holidays passed by the guild along with some peculiar developments. Bickslow being genuinely creeped out by Matt's soul certainly doesn't bode well for the origins of the teen, but these are answers for another time.**

**Laxus has suddenly decided to acknowledge Matt once more after all these years. One has to wonder what spurred this on and what it all means. Perhaps Laxus is a better person now? Or maybe a different kind of fire is driving him forward?**

**Christmas was a time for Matt to chuck his useless money at things to make the people in his life happy. The gifts are certainly helpful to some, but beyond sentimental for others. I hope that fluff was enjoyable for you all.**

**Because we are on the cusp of that curtain rising after all...**

**Next chapter will _finally _see the completion of the main Fairy Tail cast and more shenanigans.**

**Anyways, for the first time in a long time, I have an Omake for you all! So I hope you enjoy this ridiculous one as I bid you all, adieu.**

**Other Possibilities (Non-Canon):**

Matt had recently received a message from Dark Magician about an odd disturbance of the same nature that could have sent Matt to this world. Without even thinking, the teen immediately rushed off to the large forest clearing.

"Is this the place?" He asked as his trusty Magician was by his side.

"Indeed, whatever is affecting this place should appear in three... two... one..."

Space warped in front of the teen as a blinding light forced him to cover his eyes. When he could see again, he immediately wished he was rendered blind beforehand.

"I-Is that me?! And why the hell am I on a dinosaur?!" He yelled at the almost exact copy of himself atop a large, green, reptilian monster.

"Damn, this doesn't look like the place either." Matt Beta cursed.

A guttural roar came from the beast.

"Oh shut up Pickle, I'm trying alright?!" He stomped on the beast which had no effect.

Suddenly Dark Magician felt another disturbance. "Master, it's another!"

The same blinding light forced the group to avert their eyes. Once again, when Matt could see, he regretted it.

Yet another copy of him stood atop a giant golden dragon with... were those mechanical wings?

"Aw c'mon! This ain't the place either!" Matt Delta yelled in frustration. "Damnit Fury, you said this would work!"

The golden dragon ignored his Master.

"Are... are they ignoring me?!" Matt yelled as the pair of lesser copies couldn't even hear him from how far down he was.

"Hm, ah well, guess we'll try again." Matt Beta shrugged. "Pickle, away!"

The Dinosaur then proceeded to shoot out an incredibly powerful laser from its mouth, causing it to slowly fly into the air where it disappeared into a portal.

"That guy has the right idea, let's go Fury!"

The Dragon then blasted off into space, not using the moon as a tool to unleash its ultimate attack.

Matt Alpha blinked at the sight awkwardly.

"Dark Magician."

"Yes Master?"

"Please take me home... and get me a bottle of ibuprofen."

"For recreational use?"

"... No."

The two then plainly walked back to the guild.

**Okay but seriously why has no one made an OC that can summon Monster Hunter Monsters or Final Fantasy Summons? IT WRITES ITSELF PEOPLE.**


	17. The Winds of Change Approach

**Oh hai thar. It's me. That guy who writes mediocre stuff. Some of you decided to spare my story some thoughts, so this is where I responded to them.**

**Arclight001: **WHAT?! Me?! Foreshadow?! That would make me a somewhat competent writer then, and as we all know, I am far from such a status. So clearly dear reader, you must have me mistaken with someone else.

**Yifto****:** I don't know what to tell ya man, maybe undo and redo how you follow this story? I would say take it up with the administrators, but considering this website is about 14 years out-of-date, I wouldn't get my hopes up.

**Okay. Now that that's done, I'mma go in my hidey hole where I do my writing and lurking like the gremlin I am. Enjoy the chapter.**

"Damn! I thought I had him this time!" Macao groaned as he lost yet another game of poker.

"You just suck at this game old man." Gray snickered from the side.

"You try playing against him!" He pointed to Matt.

"Huh?" The teen looked confused as he put a lollipop in his mouth.

"See?! He doesn't even acknowledge that was win 684 against me!"

"No I do, I just wanted to see if you remembered. Good job on that by the way." Matt devilishly smirked.

Macao looked at him stunned for a moment before slumping in his chair and admitting defeat.

"I mean he's literally nicknamed King of Games Macao, did you think you'd beat him in one?" Cana sighed at the man.

"She's got a point Macao." Wakaba barely held back a laugh.

"Ah shut up!" He yelled picking his head up.

The table shared a chuckle at his expense.

The new year has started out pretty well for Fairy Tail. Fights only every other day so far. Natsu was getting excited as Master was almost ready to let him go on his own jobs after getting a better grasp of his magic. Erza was already at B-Class jobs after not even two years. Matt expected she'd hit S-Class faster than anyone else whose joined the guild. The redhead already expressed a desire for Matt to join her on her first A-Class job.

Overall, everything was going pretty well. Though a trio of new footsteps was certainly something he didn't expect. His eyes followed the sounds to three young kids.

'Siblings?' He looked at the trio and noticed the similar hair and eye colors.

They approached Makarov who was enjoying a drink atop the bar. Matt couldn't hear their story from here, but it didn't sound pleasant based on their expressions.

The relief on the younger siblings faces spoke of something good, but the older sibling just looked plain depressed. Matt stood up and approached them when Master waved him down.

"What's up Master?"

"How good are you at explaining Magic Power and it's correlation to transformation?"

"That's... oddly specific. But I'm pretty solid at it. Why?" He raised a brow.

"I have to go get a few things ready, would you mind showing this young lady how to dispel something?"

Matt turned his gaze to the girl wearing the black cloak.

"Sure. You wanna make this private or do you wanna do it here?" He knew people only wore clarks for 3 reasons. They were hiding from someone. They were hiding something from everyone. Or they were trying to look cool and failed at wearing it for casual wear.

"...Private." She muttered.

"Follow me then." He nodded and guided the girl out of the guild. Her siblings had tagged along too, not like it really mattered to Matt. Eventually they reached the usual spot for training.

"Take a seat." He gestured to the stump.

The girl sat as her siblings stood next to Matt.

"So, let me see what the problem is."

She hesitated for a moment before resigning herself and lifting her right arm. Immediate recognition befell the boy's face as he gazed at it.

"Oh, Take Over. Can't say I've seen a Demon variation before." He looked at the arm intrigued for a moment before shrugging.

"You... aren't scared?" She looked stupefied at how casual the boy before her was.

"Why would I be? Demons look cool. Besides it's just Magic. It a part of all of us, nothing ugly about it unless it's used for ugly reasons." He reasoned to the girl who took in his words. "Now then, I'm gonna be explaining some basic Magic to you okay? So pay close attention."

She nodded.

"Inside all of us is a container. This container takes in this stuff in the air called Ethernano. It then turns this Ethernano into Magic Power. Mages use this to cast spells and such. You with me so far?"

Her nod prompted him to continue.

"What you've performed is called Take Over. What you're essentially doing is overriding the image of yourself with that of something else. This is done via 2 methods: having a mental image of the thing in question, or absorbing its soul and having its form within you. From here you take that image and flood your body with magic energy to take its shape. Fortunately for you, it looks like you've only done a partial transformation, so this will be much easier on you to dispel."

The girl inwardly rejoiced at that information.

"Now, close your eyes and focus. Do you feel the Magic Power within you? Flowing around your body like blood?"

She hesitated for a moment before confidently nodding.

"Good, that'll make this faster. Now, imagine what your arm originally looked like. Every minute detail. How the nails looked, the folds of your skin on your hand, how each finger bent, how it all felt. Imagine it like nothing had changed from before. Do you have the mental image?"

She calmly nodded, easily being able to recall such a thing after over a month of yearning for the limb to return to normal.

"Now will that arm to return to its original form. Release the binded magic power your arm is using and override it with that image."

Her face focused as she tried her hardest to do so.

"You can do it Mira!" The little girl shouted.

"We believe in you Big Sis!" Her little brother encouraged her.

After a moment, the arm glowed and a dark purple aura was released from it. She opened her eyes to see her arm back to normal, her face a variety of emotions at the sight.

"You did it!" The girl's little sister ran over and hugged her tightly, some tears falling freely.

"B-Big Sis is finally free." The younger brother cried tears of joy.

"I knew you could do it, you got a lot of talent if you could do that from just a crummy explanation alone." Matt smiled at the girl who was still dumbfounded.

"Thank you so much Mister!" The little girl bowed deeply at him.

"Thank you for freeing our Big Sister from that burden!" Her little brother followed suit.

"C'mon guys it's nothing spectacular, all I did was show her the ropes. She deserves the credit for actually doing it." He toned down his role. Their stomachs then grumbled, causing Matt to laugh. "Come on, I'll give you three a good dinner." He motioned for the trio to follow him.

"Let's go Mira!" The little sister of the trio motioned for the eldest sibling to follow.

After a moment, she followed the teen with her siblings, her lips twisted up into a small smile.

* * *

"It's so good!" The little brother cooed as he took a bite of the meal.

"Thank you." Matt smiled as the trio dug into his food. "By the way I don't think I ever got any names from you three. So what are they?"

"Oh! I'm Lisanna!" She quickly said after gulping down her latest bite.

"I'm Elfman!" The polite boy spoke.

"Mirajane." The eldest sibling spoke timidly. Though her rapid eating of the food in front of her contrasted that attitude.

"I see, so I take it you three are siblings?" He placed an elbow on the bar counter as he glanced at a recent newspaper.

"Yup! Our last names are all Strauss!" Lisanna happily spoke.

"That's nice, you three have a very close bond. It's wonderful to see family stick together like that." While he spoke kindly, Matt would be remiss to say he wasn't ever-so-slightly jealous.

"Are you okay Mister?" Elfman spoke slightly concerned.

"Oh I'm fine. Long day is all. I'm Matthew by the way, though everyone just calls me Matt." He smiled at the trio.

"You're that King guy!" Lisanna shouted in recognition of Matt.

"You're right!" Elfman seemed to realize it too.

"Heh. I see my reputation proceeds me." Matt rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"We watched you on that big screen last year! I remember Mira talking about how cool you-" Mirajane loudly coughed to shut her sister up.

Matt handed her a glass of water, which she took with a quiet "thank you".

"So, are you three gonna join the guild?" He questioned a bit absentmindedly.

"Mm-hm!" Lisanna nodded with her mouth full.

"Speaking of which here you go." Master Makarov handed them pieces of paper and pens. The old man already having felt the latent, but weak magic of Lisanna and Elfman made the process far easier and less messy.

"That's new. Council update?" Matt looked surprised at the sudden change.

"To a degree. They've started to like the Mage in question also have their signature on the paper just in case. None of you need to update or anything, it's just a suggestion going forward."

Matt nodded as the three signed their names on the neccessary line.

"Now then, Matt, the Stamp." Matt reached under the counter and grabbed said Stamp to hand to Makarov. In the meantime, a headline about recently captured Magic Pirates caught Matt's eye.

"Now where would you like your Guild Stamps and what color do you want?" The kind old man asked with a smile.

"Ooo. I want it right here in red!" Lisanna rolled up her left sleeve to expose her upper arm.

"Coming right up!" Master pressed the Stamp to it and the mark was there without issue.

"Wow! I didn't feel a thing!" She looked at her Guild Stamp in awe.

'Huh, some blue-haired independent mage is making waves out east. Wonder what his deal is? Targeting dark guilds solo ain't exactly a kids game… unless you get roped into it.' Matt continued to gloss over the written news.

"Um… I want it black and right here." Elfman lowered the collar of his shirt to show the left side of his neck.

"Easy peasy!" Makarov fulfilled the request.

'Well that's interesting, cross-continent communication Lacrima got set up in Caelum, Iceberg and Enca. Supposed to act as a fast-response system to threats and various other things.' The teen guessed since cell towers weren't a thing, this would be a close second.

"And for you young lady?" Makarov approached Mirajane.

She just wordlessly showed the outside of her left thigh and said "White."

Master complied and the process was done.

"I'd like to welcome you three to Fairy Tail!" Master warmly greeted them.

Matt sighed, "Guess we might as well do this now." He placed the finished paper down and cupped his hands around his mouth. "NEW MEMBERS!!!" He roared over the guild.

Immediately a party broke out as everyone started singing and dancing. Macao was certainly loving the recent member Enno, who was also a dancer. Everyone could see his gaga eyes when he looked at her. After a moment, a massive fight broke out as per usual.

"Is-is it always likes that?" Lisanna looked on in nervous awe.

"Nah. We've set a record for the least number of fights this year at 14 so far. Actually 15 now. Still better than the 24 by this time last year." Matt casually said before a thrown bottle smashed into his head. He draped his head back as blood and glass fell to the floor.

"Excuse me a moment." He calmly left from behind the bar. "WAN YOU SON OF A BITCH I KNOW THAT WAS YOU!! I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!!" He grabbed a nearby table and smashed it over the head of a guild member.

The Strauss siblings were certainly taken aback by the way Fairy Tail acted.

"Oh don't worry about it. It was weird at first, but you realize they aren't fighting because they hate each other." Kagura approached the three. "I'm Kagura by the way, nice to meet you."

"Hi! I'm Lisanna!" The girl left her seat and shook hands with Kagura. "Your headband and ribbon combo is so cute!" She gushed at the girl who was one year younger.

"Thanks! My Big Brother showed me how to style it." The purple-haired girl smiled back at the new member.

"You have a brother here too? Who is it?" Lisanna tried to look around for anyone else with a matching hair color.

"You just spent all that time with him." She chuckled a bit at the girl's attempts at a search.

"Eh?! You two are related?"

"Well, not by blood. But he's Big Brother to me." She warmly smiled as Matt smashed a chair over someone's head.

"Well I think that's sweet." Lisanna smiled at the girl. "Oh! This is Elfman, my older brother. And that's Mirajane, our big sister!"

"Hi." Elfman waved.

"..." Mirajane remained quiet.

"Don't worry about her, she's just shy." Lisanna whispered to Kagura.

"Don't worry about it, my Big Brother and Sister are like that too sometimes."

"You have a sister too?" Lisanna tilted her head.

"Mm-hm. She's the green haired girl over there." Kagura pointed at Brandish who was reading a fashion magazine off to the side, that is until one saw that the magazine covered another magazine about sweets she would try and make Matt cook for her. She wore a knee-length skirt that was gold with dark brown trimming and a matching blouse, a gold jacket with purple accents and dark brown sandals.

"She's a bit on the shy side side." Kagura smiled at the girl. The second she had started calling Matt "Big Brother", she was her sister by default, no if's, and's, or's, or but's.

"How many people has he taken as siblings?"

"Well... Brandish and I are the only people that actually call him Big Brother. But basically everyone around our age here view him as an older sibling." She guessed based on interactions. Though she knew of one person in particular that felt a bit... different towards the matter.

"Wow. It's like you're all one big family." Lissana looked I'm awe.

"That's what Fairy Tail is after all, one big family. Often dysfunctional, but family regardless." She smiled at the girl.

"CUT IT OUT YOU DAMN BRATS!!!" Makarov roared in his giant form and flattened everyone with a palm strike.

"Extremely dysfunctional." Kagura sighed.

* * *

A month had passed since then. Mirajane seemed like she would quit the Guild, but after Master taught Lisanna and Elfman the basics of Take Over and stated their desire to protect her too, she stayed. However no one could've been prepared for what came next…

"What's the matter piggie? You gonna roll over me?!" Mira was currently in an argument with-

"What'd you say you pompous brat?!" Erza. Of all people. _Erza._

"Erza is already bad enough as-is, but who is gonna stop her and Mira?!" Gray cowered behind a table.

"You do it!" Natsu yelled at the Ice-Make Mage.

"Like hell!"

Matt sighed as he walked over to the two. Both girls glaring up at him.

""WHAT THE HELL DO YOU-"" He smashed their heads into each other. Causing the duo to lean into each other as they slowly fell to the floor.

"No fighting in the Guild." He coldly stated to the two before returning to his seat.

The entire guild sat dumbfounded at what they just witnessed.

"Well. If anyone could do it…" Macao gulped.

"Yu~p." Wakaba nervously lit a smoke, his hand still shaking in fear.

With that done Matt could get back to the drawing board. See the runic enhancements to his magic was going great, even better than he expected. However, it was that other new magic he got that was causing some bad issues.

See magic power is a very weird thing, by itself, it's shapeless and merely exists within a wizard. When a wizard learns their first magic, their magic power then changes shape and properties to be channeled into spells easier. For example a fire wizard would have their magic power became more erratic and unstable. This created two problems however: the first being that magic power does have a sort of bad muscle memory.

The reason why a lot of mages don't bother learning more than one magic, is due to the difficulty of making the magic power already stubbornly preset one way to assume an entirely different identity. This was a moot point to people who first learn very versatile magic, people that only use holder magic or simple freaks of nature.

Matt fell into all 3, which is why learning magic isn't that difficult for him... on a theoretical level. See Replication magic makes his magic power remain shapeless and loose, not too dissimilar to water per se. However water mages ironically don't have this property due to water being still and loose or strong and fast enough to rip flesh from bone, resulting in a mess of a magic power that's hard to describe. Getting back to the point, the second problem was more of what was causing issues for Matt: how that first magic influences physical growth.

As previously discovered, the body of a Wizard grows in two ways: naturally and magically. Matt still has a growing body, but his magical growth allows him to have huge durability and physical capabilities… except not when he's having magical recoil effects. That first magic and muscle memory also effects how the body adapts to stray elements and recoils of their own magic.

Xanxo for instance was incredibly resistant to magical flames, but his body could not handle cold steel. In contrast, Serena had an extremely durable body that could handle physical attacks and subsequent resistances while having inherent weakness from his magic for balance.

For someone like Matt, who at best had mean grip strength and joint resilience, his magic has no real recoil. This means his body is not gonna like the new brand of magic he's trying to learn. Hell, he could only even practice it once a day, needing Kuriboh nearby to heal the numerous broken hands, wrists, legs and feet. Normally the common sense thing to do would be to stop and call it pointless, unfortunately this magic hit _hard_. Shattering apart boulders, stalagmites and stalactites with mere lazy punches and kicks was absurd on top of the added perk that magic gave. However it was high-risk high-reward, and Matt just hoped he wouldn't have to start gambling with it.

"MATT! LAXUS! BIG TROUBLE!!" Makarov shouted from the entrance doors, breaking Matt from his internal thoughts.

"What's up Master?" Matt asked curiously as he approached the Master, Laxus next to him.

"_SHE'S_ COMING!!" His tone seeped with imminent dread as the duo understood what was happening.

Immediately their faces dropped into looks of sheer horror.

"OH GOD IT HAS BEEN NINE YEARS!" The Lightning Mage uncharacteristically panicked.

"EVERYONE! STATE OF EMERGENCY!! FULL CLEAN UP NOW!" Matt with incredible speed that made even Jet double-take, began to clean up the guild hall.

"LAXUS, MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS READY AT THE HOUSE!" Makarov ordered the blonde.

Without even arguing, the teen sprinted to the home of Makarov.

"What's going on?!" Gray looked around dumbfounded.

"I don't know?!" For all the years Cana had been with the guild, this was new.

"Is it a fight?!" Natsu excitedly asked.

"Worse!" Makarov shook in fear.

"Worse than a fight? A war?" Levy panicked.

"WORSE!!"

"How can anything be worse than a war?!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"My wife is coming to visit." Every word was uttered with indescribable fear.

The faces of all present guild members dropped into looks of "Huh?"

"Uh, Master. If I may ask, what's so bad about your wife?" Erza asked, having regained her senses.

"You kids don't get it. The only people here that do are Gildarts, Laxus, Matt and myself. She only visits very nine years. But no member is the same afterwards..." Complete and utter despair consumed his expression.

Suddenly, they heard approaching steps.

"SHE'S HERE!!" He cowered behind the door.

A silhouette of a short woman came into view. The guild nervously swallowed as Matt finally finished a perfect clean of the Guild Hall and was currently trying not to pass out from exhaustion behind the bar. Kagura began fanning him with a towel.

Once she came into light, the person was a small old lady in white pants, an aquamarine shirt a jacket that looked knitted and some cozy-looking white shoes. The entire guild immediately face faulted.

"H-hello honey." Makarov nervously smiled at the woman.

"Big Brother?" Kagura asked as she fanned Matt.

"Yes Kagura." His voice was muffled by his arms as he lay on the ground.

"What's so scary about Mrs. Dreyar?"

"Okay, you know how Grandma's are?"

She nodded.

"Okay, now take that base idea of a Grandma."

She nodded.

"GAH!" Natsu fell as his cheek was pinched in a grip that would shame a vice.

"And multiply it by a million."

Kagura's eyes resembled saucers as she finally realized why those who knew were so scared. Their cheeks, tastebuds and views towards knitting would never be the same again.

Their first mistake was allowing her to cook. Makarov having to physically restrain Matt from correcting her odd methods with what were essentially his kitchen tools by now.

Natsu's face was as red as a tomato as he ate the spaghetti served to him.

'How the hell is something too hot for a guy that eats fire?!' Was the general thought at that sight.

Gray's face was the exact opposite, he had a brain freeze happening on top of his body feeling like it was in an ice bath. All thanks to the pudding in front of him.

'How is the guy that strips during winter freezing cold?!' Was everyone's other general thought.

"Oh I'm so happy. Last time the youngest people were Matty-Cakes and Laxy-Poo, but now there are so many of you!" She exclaimed with joy.

"You took the brunt of it?!" Mira exclaimed in genuine shock.

"I've seen things no man should ever see." He stared off in a general direction, his eyes not focused on anything.

For once, Mira didn't feel like teasing him over that nickname. Hell, no one used those morale-destroying nicknames against them out of pity, and genuine fear for their wellbeing… primarily the latter.

Their next mistake was allowing her to pinch their cheeks.

Laxus and Matt had already survived the ordeal once before, so doing it again, while difficult, was far more manageable this time.

For the rest of the poor souls however…

"I canf feel my cheef." Elfman rubbed his right cheek that was as red as Natsu's face earlier and comically swollen.

"You'll get used to it." Matt sighed as his right cheek, while red, was noticeably less swollen. After this, anyone that tried to punch his face would probably break their hand.

"Itsh certainly dreahdful." Erza flinched as she rubbed her left cheek.

"You should've seen Gildarts when he…" It finally dawned upon Matt that a certain tail chaser wasn't here. "Oi, Laxus." He got the older teen's attention.

"Yeah?" The blonde was rubbing his own cheek.

"When he gets back, let's make sure Gildarts gets the full experience he so unfortunately missed out on."

"I think you and I are on the same page for once."

The sheer menacing aura from their two smiles of utter mailce chilled the guild to its core. Cana made a mental note that her father might die the next time he shows up.

"Ahhh! Why won't it stop itching?!" Mira tried her damndest to scratch her back that itched beyond all belief thanks to the knitted sweater she had on.

"Oh silly, that's just the fabric doing it's job." She smiled warmly at the young girl.

"..." Brandish nonchalantly seemed unaffected by the knitted coat she had on.

"..." Matt intensely stared at her, trying to find why she was unaffected.

"..." Brandish attempted to ignore his prying eyes.

"…….." His gaze deepened.

"….." She started to nervously sweat.

"…………….." Just when it looked like eyes were becoming a thin line from his scowl, she lightly lifted the sleeve to reveal she'd made it larger so it wouldn't touch her as much.

"Clever girl." Matt muttered before a knitted beanie was placed atop his head. Causing his scalp to itch for days.

Matt sighed as he put the last chair up on the table. After the event that was today, he was exhausted. He walked over to the bar and sat down to take a breath.

"Ah! Matty-Cakes! There you are."

He stiffened as the old lady approached him.

"Mrs. Dreyar, good to-"

"Hopopop." She stopped him, "Young man what did you agree to call me all those years ago?"

Matt sighed. "Grandma Drayer, good to see you again! What are you doing in the Guild so late?" Jokes and fear aside, he was genuinely curious as to her presence right now.

The old lady impressively hopped from the ground and into the chair next to him.

"Well since this is the last we'll probably see each other for the next nine years, I just wanted to have a talk with you."

'Odd.' Matt thought. "What about?"

"The good job you've been doing."

"Huh?" Matt raised a brow. The old lady looked up fondly.

"I remember when I first met you. You'd just joined the guild a week ago. You looked so lost and fragile, like a simple breeze would knock you over and break you. My heart ached for you, I didn't know what to do." Her expression turned downcast. "But then I saw that look in your eye. I realized you were a much smarter boy than you looked. From then on, I knew I wouldn't have to worry about you very much, since you'd figure things out on your own. It seems as though I was spot-on with that too." She warmly smiled at him.

"Grandma…" Matt muttered.

"I looked at all the kids in the guild today. All of them such sweet children with big hearts and even bigger hopes. I looked into their eyes and saw the pain they've had to overcome. But then I saw how pure their smiles were and I wondered, "Who could've helped these children?" Makarov? The old man knows how to give wonderful talks of the heart, but I think even he struggles to connect with the younger generation, even if he refuses to acknowledge his age. I immediately skipped Gildarts."

That got the two to share a chuckle.

"But then I saw it. How they all flocked to you and looked at you with those eyes. I felt so happy that not only had you moved past your own demons, but you'd helped these children move past theirs as well."

"I don't think I really did that much. All I did was give them some of the same talks Master would've said." He simplified her compliments.

"True, but coming from you? Someone not much older than any of them? It means so much more to have a peer to connect to and learn from. A guiding hand is always appreciated, but a hand that guides and nurtures? Those are what truly lead the way to joy." She softly smiled. "Makarov and I don't have all that much time left you know. One day we'll both be gone. And when that time comes, these children will need someone they can fall back to and lean on. Someone who can carry the burden of their tears and march forward. And I think that should be you." She admitted to the teen.

"Whoah whoah, I'm not aiming to be Master or anything. Besides I thought Laxus was next." Matt tried to dismiss the idea.

"Oh hush. I love my Laxy-Poo very much, but even I have to admit there are some things he needs to work though first. Neither Makarov or I know how long that will take." She met his gaze. "I'm not telling you to be ready right now. You still have your youth. You still have so much to learn despite how much you already know. But I know that you're destined to lead these children in their darkest hour to the light of a new day." She warmly smiled at the teen.

"So that's where you were." Makarov entered the room.

"Oh goodness me, is it already that late?" She chuckled. Before hopping down. "Goodbye my Matty-Cakes!" The two hugged after Matt took a knee. "I will see you next time!" She smiled as her and Makarov left to go home.

Matt stood up and sat alone at the bar yet again.

"But what if I betray that trust by running away? What then?" Matt's expression turned melancholic as the weight of staying or leaving grew by the day. When and if the time came, what would he ultimately choose? The spark of hope in his chest faded day-by-day. When it eventually disappears, would the light leave his eyes? Or would something else awaken? The thought of the answer being an inevitability instead of a possibility, terrified him to his very core.

* * *

About two weeks had passed since then. And it was a simple day in the Guild as always. Natsu and Gray were being scolded by Erza outside for eating her cake. Mira is the real perpetrator of course. Macao is stuck in wonderland about Enno. There was a bunny girl in the guild... wait what?

"Hello Miss how can I... help... you…?" Matt looked at the blonde who was currently looking at him like she'd both seen a ghost and seen her absolute favorite thing in the world.

"Ma'am my sincerest apologies, but no matter how much our Master wishes it so, we aren't that kind of establishment." He gently tried to tell her to go before others noticed.

"Please don't say that!" She screamed in shock at him.

"Oh? Bunny Girl eh?" Makarov approached from behind her at the entrance.

"Bunny Girl?" "We have a Bunny Girl?" "Who invited the Bunny?" The guild muttered before the girl was thrown into the party since one of the guild's unofficial mottos was "Why the hell not?" The one that caused endless headaches to Matt.

Despite her cries of protest at the start, the girl seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit once the nerves faded. She joined in the dancing and singing with a carefree attitude befitting a Fairy Tail Mage.

She sat next to him at the bar with a laugh and caught her breath.

"Wow, it's just as crazy as ever." She smiled widely.

"Yup. Things have barely changed since I first joined." Matt smiled as he looked upon the continuing party.

"You have been here a while haven't you?" She absentmindedly asked.

"Closing in on nine years now. I think I was one of the youngest in the history of the guild." Matt couldn't think of anyone under five that had joined.

"Wow." She seemed genuinely awed.

"Y'know, you look familiar." Matt looked at her closely.

"I-I don't know what you mean!" She clearly panicked at his prying eyes.

"Blonde hair. Those brown eyes. That particularly fair skin. Hmmm." Matt tried hard to recall where he'd seen this girl before. His gaze intensified on the girl, her nervously moving furthur and furthur away.

"Nope, getting nothing." He slumped and sighed as she fell out of the chair.

The girl looked like she was about to collapse as sweat beaded down her face.

"Do you need some water?" He raised a brow at her.

"N-No thank you. I'm fine." She sat back down and let out a breath. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." He shrugged.

"What was it like before all of this? When you first joined?"

Matt sighed as he recalled the memories. "Well, first off we were under half this size and the only kids were Laxus and myself. Gildarts was around more often, though my early interactions with him revolved around him using me to score and the exact opposite happening."

The girl chuckled at that.

"Cana was the first kid to join up after me. Girl was as shy as they come." He recalled her incredibly reserved demeanor.

"Really? Cana was shy?" The blonde seemed genuinely shocked.

"Of course, one little kid out in the big world by herself? Anyone would be shy and nervous." His words almost seemed like they were directed at himself, but the blonde didn't catch that.

"Now then, where was I? Right! Cana."

The two continued to talk well into the night until the girl practically ran out screaming about something he didn't get.

"She really does look familiar though." Matt's eyes widened at an old familiar feeling. 'Holy shit I was talking to a curvy hot-as-fuck girl in a bunny outfit. How the hell would I not pop one after all these years?!' He gazed to his crotch warmly like meeting an old friend again after so long. However he quickly stopped this as he realized this was happening in public. Thankfully the universe took mercy on him and no one noticed.

"Welp, time to clean up shop I guess." Matt stretched before going about his usual work.

"So Lucy, did anything interesting happen?" Mirajane asked the blonde.

"Nothing at all!" She tried to write off time travel as but a faint memory.

"What's going on?" A new voice spoke up from behind the duo.

Lucy looked over to see a man with a purple jacket that had golden accents, red over shirt with a black undershirt, white gloves, blue pants with a white belt and black shoes. His hair was blonde at the ends and black on top, it messily draped over his head to cover his ears. Striking green eyes looked at the pair of girls.

"Oh, hello Matt!" Mira smiled at the man. "I didn't know you'd already be back. Did something happen?"

The man nodded, "The competition ended early after half the people caught food poisoning. Apparently the Lacrima that kept food refrigerated was faulty and messed up the night before. So when the people already there woke up for breakfast… well, I'm sure you get the idea."

The girls grimaced at the mental image.

"Yeah, the smell wasn't for the faint of heart."

Lucy stared at the man before her. Having just seen himself as a teenager, there were distinct differences in the personality too from what she could read.

"Something wrong Lucy?" The man asked slightly concerned.

"Oh it's nothing!" She frantically waved her hands. "I'm just remembering something." Laughing it off, Lucy walked back to her usual table with Natsu and Happy already there.

"Hey Lucy! Happy came to me with this new game! The premise is we try to guess something about the other that's true."

Lucy shrugged, "Sounds fun, who goes first."

"How about you?" The cat responded.

"Okay. Hmmmm." Lucy recalled something Matt had told her and devilishly smirked. "You once wore panties on your head because you thought they were a Ninja Mask."

Natsu's jaw audibly hit the floor.

"HOW DID YOU KNOW?!" He shouted in despair.

"Natsu you actually did that?!" Even Happy looked shocked by that revelation.

Natsu then sat in the corner of the hall for the rest of the day, thinking his life was over.

* * *

Two weeks after the Bunny Girl day, a certain incident occurred.

The day itself started out relatively normal, but an odd atmosphere was making itself rather present. It weighed down upon the guild rather heavily as while conversation and such did occur, it was all rather tame. Nothing loud, rambunctious or even slightly annoying was going on. The more experienced members of the guild remained on guard in the case of something happening.

The sounds of footsteps caused them to gaze up at the entrance to the guild where a familiar, but unwelcome sight greeted them: a frog person wearing familiar clothing had entered the guild.

"Matthew Atlas?" They asked as everyone that hadn't already done so, turned their attention to them.

"Yo!" He raised his hand to get their attention.

They handed him a letter wordlessly and left as quickly as they had just arrived.

"Alright then." Matt thought the behavior was odd but wrote it off, perhaps today was just a busy day.

He summoned a small blade to open the letter and proceeded to read it's contents. His eyes narrowing more and more as he read the short, but very important message.

Once he finished, he placed the letter back into the envelope and stood.

"What was it about?" Makarov asked, a pit forming in his stomach as he had a hunch already and prayed it wasn't what he believed it to be.

"It's a job from the council." Matt spoke oddly ominously. However what he said next would shock the entire guild.

"I'm to help exterminate a Dark Guild."

**This is where I'd have that DUH DUH DUUUUH sound effect, but this is a written medium so uh... just imagine it I guess.**

**Also welcome back.** **So a myriad of things happened this chapter, most of it fluffy and parts of it kinda grim.**

**So we finally have a completed cast of the original story outside of side characters, but for all intents and purposes, it's done. Mira, Elfman and Lisanna are an interesting gaggle of characters. Before anyone asks, yeah I already kinda know what I want to do with Lisanna when she "dies", so don't concern yourselves with that. Mira is definitely gonna play a bit of a bigger/different role in this story. I'll expand upon that after this upcoming arc.**

**Grandma Dreyar! I'd already mentioned her back in chapter 3, but I wanted to at least have her physically pop up once in this story. I felt like if Makarov is an old man with a young heart, then his wife should have a kind of opposite personality where she's just a super grandma** **and overall just fun to write.**

**I did a bit an exposition dump on magic power since I wanted to A: hint towards some future development for Matt. B: just expand the idea of it a bit more, make the magic system a bit more unique at its base. Fairy Tail had an odd system that's explained, but not explained if you get what I mean.**

**We also saw a small hint of Memory Days. I figured since I could fit in that Lucy scene, why not do it? Naturally now, some of you are probably gonna be upset I**

**wrote that Matt survives to canon. My question for you is: why the fuck would you think otherwise? I made it pretty clear he would in these author notes.**

**Also, new arc already. I mean I did say that we'd be going at a pretty quick pace back when the Tournament arc started until the end of this upcoming arc. For those of you concerned I may speed up too much, the next arc is much slower and focuses more on characters instead of action. There's still fight scenes, but a majority of it is gonna be focused of character bonding.**

**Some good news: I've basically got the skeleton of pre-canon all planned out now. Some things could be subject to change and such, but for the most part all I just gotta do is write it. In terms of plans for canon, I have some ideas. One of which you'll see the start of unfold with this upcoming arc.**

**With all of that done, I got another omake for you all! So until next week, I bid you all adieu.**

**Omake: Lingering Scars (canon):**

As the regular day in the guild progressed, one pink-haired boy was walking with intent. An intent he'd been itching to fulfill for a while now.

He walked past the large, open doors of the guild and looked around. Once his target was in-sight, a wide grin made its way onto his face and he rushed over.

"Matt! I want you to fight me!" He shouted with pure excitement.

The teen in question, currently on game 624 with Macao eyed the younger boy.

"Oi! Wait your turn Natsu! I know I can do it this ti-" Macao was cut off by the teen dropping the royal flush in his hand, winning the game resolutely. The bluenette's face fell onto the table, realizing Matt was just messing with him the entire time.

Matt stood and stretched, "Yeah sure."

"Yes!" Natsu jumped in joy and pumped his arm back.

"Ah man, I gotta see this slaughter." Grey smirked as he stood to follow the exiting duo.

As the pair made their way to the same spot in the forest Matt and Gildarts duked it out in, most of the other kids had decided to join in.

Natsu stood across from Matt, barely containing his excitement as he sported a massive smile.

"Alright Natsu, let's see what you got." Matt urged the boy forward while in a casual stance, a hand still in a pocket.

"You asked for it!" The boy ran forward in a straightforward charge and leapt forward.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" A fire encased fist flew towards the older boy who easily caught the wrist and threw Natsu to the side.

The boy rolled and adjusted his stance before once again breaking into a run. He placed both fists in front of his mouth to fire his breath attack, breathing deeply.

"Fire Dragon's-" He was cut off as Matt had kicked some dirt towards Natsu and the boy had unfortunately inhaled it.

"Gotta be faster than that Natsu." Matt critiqued him, not even having moved a step from his spot.

After a coughing fit, Natsu charged again. The pinkette leapt into the air and twisted his body.

"Fire Dragon's Talon!" The flaming foot was caught at the ankle by Matt.

"Not done yet!" Natsu shouted as his other foot became alight with flame and headed at Matt.

Unfortunately this too was fruitless as Matt also grabbed that ankle.

Natsu grit his teeth as he was held mid-air by the teen. The boy then dug his hands into the ground, getting a solid grip as he tried to twist his hips to break free.

In this effort, the intensity of the flames still on his feet increased, lightly burning the skin on Matt's wrists and giving Natsu the opportunity to break free.

"Whew~." Matt whistled an impressed tone as the fire Natsu had morphed into a swirl that took up the entirety of Matt's vision.

The teen's pupils dilated immensely as an all too familiar figure appeared before his eyes. Matt, too distracted by his body physically seizing, wasn't able to dodge the punch Natsu connected with his jaw, sending him skidding back a dew feet.

"HUH?!" Gray stood dumbfounded that Natsu actually landed a clean hit on Matt.

A similar reaction was on the faces of the other present members.

Matt's face was obscured by shadows momentarily before his head shot up.

"Ah! I forgot I had to go do something! Sorry Natsu we'll reschedule!" He took off in a direction away from the group.

"Oh thank goodness, he was just distracted." Gray breathed in relief as Natsu hit someone not even focused on the fight.

Cana smacked his arm for his attitude.

Natsu was currently too dizzy after that to even say anything as he lay on the ground, everything spinning around him.

Erza looked at where Matt was for a moment before heading off in the same direction.

The girl managed to follow his path based on the broken branches and such he left as he headed deeper into the forest.

"...op...ing." She recognized the faint voice and kept herself hidden behind a tree as she saw Matt leaning against a tree.

"Stop shaking damn you!" He shouted at his right arm that violently trembled. The teen growled in anger as he smashed the limb against the tree trunk.

"Stop it!"

**THUNK**

"STOP!"

**THUNK**

"STOP IT!!!"

**THUNK**

He senselessly beat the disobedient appendage until it bled harshly and shook from pain instead of fear. Erza couldn't even do anything as she looked on in a mix of shock and horror of knowing that the person she admired, the person who had helped her in her darkest hour, was just as fragile and fractured as she was.

Matt breathlessly leaned his back against the trunk, slowly sliding into a sitting position as he gazed at his arm. He sighed and rested his head back against the wood. Not noticing the redhead scurrying off as he bit his lip in frustration.

"Goddamnit all..."


	18. The Advent of Change

**Hello once again! It's time for me to respond to one comment! Just like the good old days when I was a bright-eyed young lad before so foolishly diving into this pit... ANYWAYS, on with it!****Middernacht:**

Honestly I'll probably move to Ao3 if anything. Some parts of this story are gonna get pretty fucking dark, so there is genuine potential some jackass mod could delete this story. Even though it's M rated, the fuck would anyone expect? Sex? Swearing? Killing? That's like T stuff honestly if PG-13 can get away with it in spades. (Never forget how Raiders of the Lost Arc is PG). But yeah, I'll keep an ear to the ground in the case this story gets stabbed and chucked into a pit.

**With that done, enjoy some good ol' fashioned murder!**

"Code Red! We have a Code Red!" A guard screamed into a communication Lacrima before his chest cavity spontaneously erupted, causing his untimely, gruesome end. This was a similar case with every other guard at Naraka, a special prison for extremely dangerous Dark Guilds and Mages.

Shouts of the prisoners echoed through the twenty levels of the spire carved into the ground. The base sentence getting progressively worse the lower you went. On the first floor? 100 years. On the twentieth? No one knows since not a single man or woman who's entered has ever walked out in anything that isn't a body bag.

Wet footsteps silenced every prisoner as they slowly approached. The sound they made told everyone that they and this man were the only people left alive here.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, One and All!" A voice called from atop the pit. He wore a dark green trench coat with a white button down shirt and black vest, black pants and brown combat boots. His hair was a dark green, short and slicked back very tightly. The pale skin of his body contrasted his blood red eyes.

"My name is Lucius. And I shall be your liberator!" He made a grand gesture to cheers of many of the prisoners. "In return, I ask for only your assistance with a project of mine." Lucius placed his hands behind his back. "You see, as mages we have all been told that Magic has always been touted as the "expression of ones soul", and I completely agree with that sentiment. What I fail to understand, is why we are punished for expressing ourselves then! Why should our every move, our every choice as Mages be scrutinized to the smallest detail? Aren't we free to do as we please with our power? Are we not free to be who we wish to be and enjoy what we wish to enjoy?"

He remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. "No. We are not free. We are not free as Mages. We are not free as people. The very facet of freedom itself eludes us! Why you ask? The answer is simple: the Council and the 90% of those who lack our gift. They fear that if we wish to, we can do whatever we please! Sure, their fear is founded, but the cycle they create through this paranois only crates examples for them to point at! But that's not all! They even have the gall to feel entitlement! They think that because they run the money and make us do their jobs for them, that they own us! That we should do whatever they need like servants!" The disgust and contempt on his face was brief, but a fierce contrast from his normally in-control expression. A similar feeling echoed in the building.

"But no more! We shall show them why we deserve freedom. We shall show them, that they are not our masters! We shall show them, that we are Mages, and we shall not be silenced!" A massive, harmonious cry came from the prison, all of them on the same page. "My brothers and sisters! Join me! And together we shall create a world where we are truly free, as People and as Mages!"

Lucius raised a fist into the air to the unanimous cheer of the entire prison. His smile genuine in the moment but also reeked of excitement for what will follow as at long last, the curtain rose.

* * *

"Extermination…" Makarov uneasily spoke as Matt had entered his room to prepare.

"Master, what does that mean?" Erza spoke to the old man.

He sighed as he took a large swallow of the present bottle of whiskey in his hand. "When the crimes of a group of individuals is deemed too uncountable and the information they posses deemed too worthless to the council, they employ Extermination. A process in which a group of typically high-level Rune Knights are dispatched to kill the people in question."

"K-kill?!" Macao nervously gulped.

"The fact that Matt and I assume other powerful Mages are being called in though…" Makarov slightly paled at the idea of who or what could've caused this kind of reaction.

"Well can't he opt out of it?" Gray raised a legitimate point.

Makarov shook his head. "Not only is an Extermination viewed as one of the highest orders in the Council, the letter was personally stamped by the Chairman. Meaning if he turned it down, it'd be seen as treason and he'd face execution."

"""WHAT?!""" The guild unanimously voiced.

"You can't be serious?!" Mirajane uncharacteristically shouted in protest.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Wakaba tried to reason with Master.

Master remained silent for a moment. "Pray." He spoke with a hint of helplessness.

The faces of the guild reflected that too.

Matt walked out silently as he approached the doors to the guild. No one knew what to say. What do you tell to someone who either marches off to their potential death?

As he approached the outside world, Matt stopped right in front of the doors. He wordlessly raised his right arm up with his index finger to the sky. Even to those who didn't know the origin of this gesture knew the meaning of it.

"I'll win, so wait for me."

Matt lowered his arm, summoned Red-Eyes and took off to the designated location.

"Be safe, Big Brother." Kagura muttered as she clasped her hands together.

* * *

The meeting spot was a northwestern port on Fiore. This is a port used exclusively by the Magic Council for trade, imports and exports, however it was also where a good portion of their Naval battleships and operations occurred.

A large building stood in front of Matt. It was five stories tall and made of purely featureless stone. The design inspired a bit of nostalgia in him for the massive buildings of his world that pierced the very sky.

He entered through the door and was greeted by numerous Rune Knights running around in a frenzy. The Rune Knights outside were also at a similar operating pace right now.

"Ah, Matthew Atlas. You're the first to arrive." A familiar voice spoke to his side.

"You're Capatin Sarutobi correct?" He tried to recall the man from the Tournament.

"Ah, I see your memory is good too. Now come, you're to wait for the others." The older man gestured for him to follow.

They went down about three flights of stairs to what Matt assumed was a control room. Large Archive Magic monitors and numerous operators stood. In the center was a massive holographic map. The men made themselves comfortable in some chairs.

"So who are we waiting for?" Matt asked the man.

"This operation requested some of the strongest quickly accessible mages in the country. I will be leading this group against the enemy along with a few other Captain-level Rune Knights. Once everyone has arrived, we shall give details.

Matt nodded as he pulled out his Rune Book from his Hammerspace. These things were incredibly useful, but he'd found an interesting fact. The author of the book, who'd so cheekily written his name in the runic language, was Achilus Quindel. A name that was oddly familiar to him and Matt found out why when he saw it was the same author as the one who wrote the Replication Magic book. The teen simply considered it to be just how some things were… whenever these got written.

As he read, the first of the group arrived.

"Well, it's good to see you again Matt-dono." Jura spoke with a smile as he descended down the stairs.

"Ah man they even got you?! This must be serious." Matt approached the man and smirked. "But with you here I feel the success rate just shot up." He extended his fist.

"Indeed. Being able to fight alongside you is a great relief to me." He took the fist bump.

A woman with purple hair, yellow eyes and dark skin in a Rune Knight uniform walked in.

"Hoh? I didn't think the famous King would be called in." She smiled at the teen whose eye twitched.

"Matthew Atlas, meet Captain Yoru Shiho of the Rune Knights." Hayabusa gestured to the woman.

She playfully smiled at him. "You'll definitely be fun to mess with~."

"Nice to meet ya too." Matt tried his damndest to not pop a blood vessel.

Another moment passed before the next Mage arrived.

"Ah, I see I'm not the first."

He had dark red hair that was messy, fair skin and green eyes. His outfit was a dark purple thigh-length coat with lighter purple accents, a black shirt, grey pants and black boots.

"My name is Jura Neeks." The man bowed.

"Matthew Atlas, but everyone calls me Matt." The teen gave a lazy two-finger wave.

"I am Cosmo Porla. Pleasure to meet you." He lightly bowed.

'Porla? Why does that sound familiar…' Matt thought as the next Captain walked in.

"Ah, Sarutobi and Yoru are already here." He sighed. The man had pale skin, while hair and red eyes.

"This is Captain Ken Sasaki." Sarutobi gestured at the man who gave a meek wave.

Next up was a familiar face for Matt.

"Well that's a face I haven't seen for a while." Matt smirked.

"Oh my, you remember little old me? And here I thought you'd forgotten." Ultear raised her hand to her heart with a smirk. She'd definitely grown taller, and had developed as she was probably 14 by now. She still wore her hair as twin tails though along with those purple robes. Though the Communication Lacrima she carried was new.

"This is Ultear Milkovich." Matt greeted for her.

Everyone returned their greetings.

"Oh good, I was afraid this would be a sausage fest." Yoru smirked as she draped an arm over Ultear. "Us badass ladies gotta stick together!"

"Indeed." Ultear smiled, also relieved to not be in an all-male group again.

"Um." The next Rune Knight walked in. She had long black hair in a hime cut with fair skin and… her eyes were absurdly milky.

"You see it too?" Jura whispered to him.

"Yeah. She's blind, and yet she made Captain." Matt nodded as he payed close attention to the girl.

"Her abilities must be impressive if she's here as well." Jura concluded.

"Captain Hina Hugo everyone." The older captain introduced her.

"Oh! Hina made it?! Our victory is secured!" Yoru cheered as she hugged the girl who blushed from the embarrassment.

"Ah! Y-Yoru, please!" She waved her arms around frantically.

As this happened, the next Rune Knight made their entrance. They had long blonde hair, fair skin and purple eyes.

"What's up people!" She smiled as she entered.

"And lastly, Captain Yato Long."

"Wow, hell of a lineup here." The blonde looked around with a whistle.

The final mage made their entrance as she ogled. He had short blue hair and eyes, fair skin and an odd red tattoo above and below his right eyes. A white jacket and pants, blue shirt, black belt and boots made up his outfit.

"It seems I'm the last to arrive. My name is Siegrain." He lightly bowed to everyone.

* * *

The sea crashed violently against the large battleship currently housing the force of 2,000 dark mages. Their current destination known only to the man who stood at the bow, confidently looking forward. Behind him were the forces of freed Narakan prisoners who followed him.

Some were simply idly sitting, waiting for whenever they'd make land. Others kept themselves busy by playing games or eating, though some of the individuals had decided to indulge in a more… exotic delicacy courtesy of the deceased crewmen that previously used the ship.

"Oh boys~!" One thuggish looking man strolled above deck. "Lookie what I got here!" He threw a gagged woman onto the cold wood of the deck. One needn't think too much of the growing desires of some of the more pent up men that started to gang up around her.

As they went to begin their shameless act even in front of hundreds of others, a loud finger snap caused them to stop.

"Gentlemen, we are Mages, not Barbarians, have some tact if you'd be so kind." Lucius scolded the primitive men without even looking at them.

"Huh?! The hell gives you any right to stop us?! You freed us after all!" One man shouted in anger.

"That I did, however even I myself have boundaries. Find other ways to relieve yourselves." The greenette's elegant method of speech didn't once falter in the face of the savagery.

"Oooh~ I get it now!" The original man chuckled, "You just want her for yourself! Well I can't blame ya, she is a pretty good piece of mea-"

The man couldn't even finish speaking before his head popped like a balloon, painting the deck and nearby people in gore. His headless corpse collapsing to the ground not a second later.

"Do I make myself clear?" The subtle tone of absolute authority made any vague or abstract thought of disobeying Lucius die on-the-spot.

The force of an even 2,000 mages pressed onward, towards whatever Lucius' was planning.

"I'll be honest, the situation is quite dire." Sarutobi spoke as everyone had gathered around the map.

"How bad is it?" Ken asked with concern.

"Every last convict of Naraka has escaped and joined their liberator." His words caused the Rune Knights to visibly pale.

"Naraka?" Jura tried to think of anything he knew named that.

"It was a high-detention facility for Dark Guilds and evil Mages. At the time of release, it housed 2,000 Mages. Each of varying danger." Sarutobi grimly stated.

"Not to be rude, but what kind of security did that place have if one guy managed to break out everyone?" Matt raised a brow at that fact.

The older man sighed. "The requirements for even being a guard there were ten years minimum of experience as a Rune Knight and over a hundred hours of logged combat. No one there was under twenty. And yet one man slaughtered them all without so much as a scratch getting on him."

"Who is this man?" Seigrain prodded.

The Captain nodded to a nearby console operator who threw up a picture of the man in question.

"He goes by Lucius. His birth name, age, blood type, family and such were all lost."

"How'd that happen?" Yoru examined the photo of the man.

"He was a slave in Bosco. After an undisclosed amount of time, he savagely murdered his owners and escaped. That was five years ago." He nodded to the operator again as an image of a ship appeared with a peculiar flag flying high. "He resurfaced last week and broke everyone out of Naraka. Shortly after they established themselves as a Dark Guild named Phoenix Light." The logo on the flag was of a phoenix skull with a sun behind it.

"Oh I get it now." Matt nodded as it clicked. "These guys are becoming too large of a Dark Guild and thus threaten the Balam Alliance. So if they piss those three powerhouses off and also start a war with the Council."

"Complete anarchy." Ultear finished as Matt nodded.

"Correct. Our job is to eliminate them before this can occur. Any questions?" Sarutobi opened the floor for the other nine people.

"What's the kind of threat level that broke loose from Naraka?" Cosmo asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

"Approximately 1000 D-Class, 700 C-Class, 200 B-Class, 75 A-Class and 25 S-Class level mages were held within Naraka. All of them are now part of Dragon's Bane."

"What kind of Magic does their leader use?" Ultear spoke with a scowl at the image of Lucius.

"We don't know. Most of the Recording Lacrima were destroyed or didn't see him. This image a hidden one got is the only thing of Lucius we have. The only guesses we have related to potentially a kind of wind or gravity magic, but we don't know for sure."

'Well that's just great.' Matt rolled his eyes.

"Where are they located right now?" Jura spoke with a hand on his chin.

Sarutobi placed his hand on the map which zoomed into the southern area of Ishgar.

"We don't know their exact location, but after sightings of a stolen Fioran battleship made the rounds shortly before the breakout and after it, they're somewhere in the southern sea of Ishgar."

Matt raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"When can we go? My guild ain't exactly competent with cooking and I'm the only cook, so the faster we get this done the less likely they are to starve to death or eat each other ." His completely nonchalant attitude caught most of them by surprise. Jura sighed at his attitude while Ultear and Siegrain chuckled.

"Do you not know of the threat we face?!" Sarutobi shouted.

Matt looked at him blankly. "Yes. You literally just told us."

"And you aren't afraid whatsoever?" The captain looked at the teen disbelief.

"Nope. That'd be giving them what they want. And there's nothing I enjoy more than denying condescending assholes of what they want from me. Now are we gonna stand here all day and talk or are we gonna fight and get the job done?" He narrowed his gaze at the older Captain.

The older man pinched the bridge of his nose, "Of course, I forgot who I was dealing with for a moment there." A brave but foolish boy that has a hard time backing down when provoked.

"Hahaha! I knew this kid would be great!" Yoru clutched her gut while laughing.

"I have to agree with Matthew. Captain, the longer we stall, the more time they have to prepare." Ken tried to reason with him.

Sarutobi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're right, we should just get this show on the road. I'll debrief us on the S-Clsss Criminals while we take a boat."

"A boat?" Siegrain tilted his head. "Wouldn't it be faster to go by land?"

"If there's one thing we Rune Knights know, it's how to get somewhere quickly." Yato smirked.

"Our large ships are equipped with special Lacrima to massively speed them up. Getting to the South Sea shouldn't take more than a week." Hina softly spoke.

"If everyone is done, Yoru, lead them to the ship we're using. I need to grab some documents." Sarutobi left the room as Yoru gave a two-finger wave.

"Alright bukkos, let's get going."

* * *

Aboard a familiar battleship, a group of dark mages where planning something. Not a mutiny, but an escape.

"Do we have eyes on the target Cir?" A man with short orange hair spoke mentally. His dark green clothing helping to conceal him in the shadows.

"Aye aye Captain!" A young feminine voice responded from the crows nest of the ship, eyeing a closely passing vessel, soon to be within her magic's range.

"Gil, is everyone out cold?" The Captain then asked another man.

"Yup! I made sure to slip those sleeping meds in all the booze! Enkidu also helped." The cluck of a chicken was then heard.

"Good. How's it going on your end Joe?"

"Escape boat secured!" A confident chortle came from the young man with a bandana.

"Good job, how are eyes on the Bloodhound?"

"Blrg… all good…." A young feminine voice tried not to blow chunks.

The man sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, 'She's a damn pirate and she has motion sickness.'

"AH! CAPTAIN!" The crow's nest inhabitor mentally made everyone deaf.

"Yes." He rubbed his temples in pain.

"Target ship in range!"

Immediately the man assumed his work mindset.

"Intercept it. Gil, meet up with Joe. Great Ninja, disengage and meet me with Cir."

"""Roger!""" "R-R-Rog- BLLLRGH!!"

"Someone please get a towel for her." He sighed.

"Enkidu shall handle it." Another crow from the feathered companion.

Tonight was gonna be a long one for the Captain.

* * *

"Mmmm." Matt's face scrunched as he leaned on the railing.

"You get seasick?" Ultear asked somewhat surprised.

"No, I just get headaches these days whenever I ride anything." Matt groaned out.

"That sounds rough." She grimaced.

"Eh, I manage. Anyways what have you been up to? Haven't seen you for a while now."

She shrugged. "Not a whole lot, improving my magic, being an independent Mage, same old same old y'know?"

"I'm surprised you aren't with a guild."

"Eh. Not really my style. I operate mainly in a city though, which is how the Council contacted me."

Matt nodded as he rubbed his forehead. "Still a bit ridiculous how they just aren't having mages native to these regions deal with this issue."

"That's primarily due to the fact that most southern Ishgarian counties don't employ mages in the sense we're used to." Ken spoke as he approached them, overhearing the teen.

"How so?" He looked the Captain's way.

"Guild's are moreso pillars of these governments, especially for some counties. Enca, for example, has the lowest Mage population out of the entire continent, so each one is strictly used to guard officials and important buildings. Most of them employ a traditional army for scuffles." He suddenly sighed. "Unfortunately given these circumstances, they can't spare anyone in case war does break out."

"Do you really think the Balam Alliance would self-destruct from this? Honestly I'd thought they'd handle this seeing as this directly threatens them." Matt was somewhat confused by that, and also confused when he saw Hina staring at Ken from behind a corner.

"Well Oración Seis is still relatively young compared to the other two, so they'd probably rather see what happens. Grimoire Heart is odd, they could intervene, but they've been so focused on their own plan that I don't think they care too much." Ken rationalized the insanity those dark guilds maintained.

'Got it in one.' Ultear mentally confirmed. She'd been sent by Hades to join this group as both a test of her growth and since her absence wouldn't impact the plan for a long while. Master Hades was also surprisingly concerned about just whoever this Lucius is.

"As for Tartarus… honestly their silence lately has been unnerving. They were always the least present of the three, but lately there hasn't been even a whisper from them outside rumors." Ken spoke with slight worry.

"So "it's complicated" is the answer. Got it." Matt sighed as he looked at the waves below. The same sight he'd be seeing for a while.

Ken said something about checking in with Sarutobi and walked off, Matt didn't care very much as his headache was far too distracting.

They'd been out at sea for a couple hours now, the ship moved shockingly fast which didn't help Matt's raging headache. Seems like it wasn't hot air they were blowing when they said their boats could travel across the continent in record time. Matt somewhat wished he could just ride Red-Eyes as he didn't get headaches on him for some reason.

"I'm gonna go take a nap." Matt spoke as he walked below deck and to his room.

"Sleep well." Ultear spoke to the teen who weakly waved.

"You two certainly seem familiar with each other." Siegrain smirked as he approached the girl.

"We go back a while." She shrugged. "Nothing too major."

"I see." He approached the railing and looked out to the horizon.

"Happy we aren't going anywhere near that?" She implied as the ship was heading towards the path between Caelum and Minstrel, far from his Tower of Heaven.

"Naturally, after all that place doesn't bring pleasant memories." He played off the talk they were having on a ship filled with Rune Knights and Legal Mages.

"Well, I'm still surprised you agreed to this."

He chuckled a bit. "Well I gotta get a foothold in somehow if I wanna join the Council. Same goes for you too."

"I suppose you are right." She lightly smiled.

"Still, I won't lie that getting rid of these pests is probably for the best anyways. Also a good method to test myself." He opened and closed his palm, eager to see how far his magic had truly developed.

"Well don't get too ahead of yourself, it'll be a bit before we make contact with the enemy."

"Indeed, but fortunately I'm a patient man." He smirked.

"Oh? Aren't you the youngest one here _boy_?" She teased him.

"…Am I?"

"Of course, Matt is close to my age after all."

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. Age certainly doesn't matter, but he still had his pride that could easily be wounded with being called things like "Kid" or "Child".

"It doesn't matter in the end. All that matters is our success with this." He rationalized in an attempt to change the subject.

"Naturally. Now I'm going to grab some food, do you want a juice box?"

"Orange…" He realized what just happened. "I hate you." The teen spat out.

Ultear chucked as she walked off.

* * *

As the first morning aboard the vessel arrived, it naturally fell onto Matt to cook for everyone. Normally he wouldn't mind, if it wasn't for the annoying dish specifications and variety.

"I need a lot of sugar, the food itself doesn't matter." Ken had to wipe some drool away from his mouth at the thought of sugar. Matt drew the parallel between him an the quintessential drug PSA of his world.

"I need a lot of protein! Mama has gotta make sure she looks good while kicking butt." Yato grinned as she flexed an arm.

"Um... some ramen would be appreciated please." Hina shyly asked the teen before immediately running off.

"A young S-class such as myself needs a sturdy meal to start the day! So I require a large omelet with all the essentials!" He walked off and ran back back. "Oh! and seasoned properly!" Cosmo grinned wickedly before going off... and then running back. "Actually-!" Matt's death glare after five entire minutes of that made him settle on the omelet.

"I'm a traditionalist, so just make whatever fits into breakfast." Came the remaining orders he was told. Those people were automatically his favorite. No questions asked. He'd take a bullet for them.

"How about you Sarutobi?" Matt asked the man as he got some ingredients out, a case of eggs in his hand.

The man silently walked up to Matt, opened the egg case, grabbed 3, broke them all open and ate the yokes in one swallow before taking a glass of water and leaving.

"..." Matt's eye twitched as he placed the food on the counter and nestled his head between his arms. 'WHY CAN'T I BE WITH MORE NORMAL PEOPLE?!' The existential crisis was strong with this one.

* * *

One night Matt was up rather late, some medication helping to tame the headache he had. The teen currently sat on a wooden chair with his head resting atop the hand propped up on the furniture by his elbow, his other hand holding a glass of warm milk.

It was honestly rather odd for Matt. The furthest he'd been away before was that job in Isvan beforehand, he'd effectively never left Fiore before today. He recalled how in his old life the luxury of travel was unfortunately something he could never partake in. Not because of something like money, that was never an issue in his old life. It was moreso having to take care of his crippled mother and younger siblings by himself, becoming the man of the house at far too young an age.

Lost in the whirlpool of thoughts, Matt didn't notice the towering figure of Sarutobi enter the room.

"Ah, Matthew." He greeted the teen with a neutral expression.

"Huh?" He looked up, "Oh, Sarutobi. What are you doing up this late?" Matt raised a brow.

"You mean early. 4 in the morning is ample time for some training." Without even realizing the absurdity of the statement, he just spoke it like it was normal.

"Ooookay then." Matt's eye twitched, stupefied over the older man's mentality.

Sarutobi eyed the teen as he finished the glass of milk and cleaned the glass out before putting it away.

"Well, nice chat, I'm off to bed." Matt began to walk off before he noticed two things. Firstly: his feet were no longer on the ground. Secondly: he was being held up in one are without even a sign of struggle from Sarutobi.

"I need a partner." He bluntly demanded.

"That's wonderful, maybe that Ken guy will be of assistance." The teen tried to scapegoat the white-haired man.

"Ken is a busy man with enough on his plate as-is, you'll do."

Matt couldn't even argue before Sarutobi lead them into a rook near the bottom of the ship.

The pair were now in a pair of short and tank tops, doing some minor stretches. Though given the immense size difference of the 5'9 Matt and the 6'7 Sarutobi, one might be surprised to hear they'd be doing some odd form of sparring if the older man's shotty explanation told him anything.

'His body healed well, his foundation is solid for his age.' The man eyed the stretching form of Matt. He'd seen Matt beaten badly before twice, the first time still evident based on the scar on his shoulder. He admired the determination and resilience of the boy, but he also wanted to make sure none of it was getting to his head. And he knew just how to kick him down a peg or two.

"Alright, so what's the gameplan." Matt finished his stretches and faced the Captain.

Without speaking, Sarutobi walked over to a bag and pulled out a ball.

"What, we shooting hoops?" Matt was no professional, and the Chaos Dunk was out if his reach, but he was known to go for a pickup game or two in his free time if he felt like it.

"Your goal is simple: take this ball from me. The rules are also simple: no magic and no killing."

Matt had to blink a couple of times over that second rule, but shrugged and took a loose stance.

"Easy enough, and I assume your job is to play keep away right?"

"Naturally." As Sarutobi closed his eyes in response, Matt made the first move.

Without even seeing the teen, Sarutobi chucked the ball higher up and bent backwards, allowing Matt to pass over him and roll to his feet.

"A good starting move, but a pointless endeavor to more experienced opponents." Sarutobi casually caught the ball after straightening himself.

Matt scowled as he slowly pranced around the man, eyeing any potential weak points in his defense. The scowl deepened as he found absolutely none, Sarutobi had a rock-solid defense.

'Well, if he has no weaknesses, then I'll make my own.' Matt stopped moving before breaking into a dash straight at the man.

"..." Sarutobi kept silent as the teen quickly went airborne and twisted his body, charging up his leg and snapping the knee, driving his shin forward and right into the guarding arm of Sarutobi.

A fierce gust of wind came from the blocked blow as Matt was confident he at least gave the man as nasty bruise, however this confidence was shattered as his leg started to cry in agony.

"YYEEEOOOWWW!!" The teen hopped around, hands clutching the leg as he imitated a certain cartoon cat.

Sarutobi lowered his arm and moved his forearm around, the thick cords of muscle flexing and relieving the stress from that block.

'That was a powerful kick, to a normal person or weaker mage, that'd without question shatter their arm.'

After a second, Matt got it together and was back on both legs.

"Alright then, I was just playing along at first, but now I wanna wipe that indifferent look off that damn face." He wiped his mouth and scowled at the Rune Knight.

Matt immediately went in, his arms resembled blurs as he charged forward in the very simple manner. Sarutobi, stepping back in perfect time, kept the inflated toy away from the teen.

"You'll need to do something more creative than this." He chided the teen's simplicity, however he didn't expect this to be part of the teen's plan.

As Sarutobi took another step back, Matt's heel smashed into his calf muscle, throwing off his balance.

'He managed to read my movements?!'

Sarutobi began to plummet backwards as Matt leapt up to catch the ball which slipped from his hand that grew too complacent.

'I see, he lulled me into a pattern that I got too comfortable with. Heh. Not too bad, but I'm not weak enough to be beaten like that!'

The man bent back and dug his hand into the floor, the wood fracturing as his hand tore into it like flesh. He quickly rose up and kicked the ball back into the wall.

Matt barely managed to duck his head under the lightning-fast blur of an object from rearranging his features. He broke into a roll and slid across the wood.

Sarutobi launched himself into the air with a small flip and landed on his feet, lazily extending his right arm and catching the white blur without taking his eyes off of Matt.

"Now then, care to try again?" A confident smirk came up on the man's face.

"Heh, if I can already wipe that stupid neutral look off your face so easily." The teen stood and grinned, "Then taking that thing shouldn't be much harder."

"That was a good warm up, go ahead and get some rest." Sarutobi placed the ball away and exited the room, a dew beads of sweat trailing down his head.

Matt lay in the middle of the room, flat on his back and desperately trying to get more air in his lungs. His shirt clung to his body as he was drenched in sweat.

"Damn freak." He spat out as he lay there, completely exhausted.

Eventually the teen got up and made his way to the makeshift kitchen of the ship, soaked shirt over his shoulder for better ventilation.

"Bastard is taller than Gildarts and built like a brick shithouse and yet he's more nimble than me. Goddamn mages." Matt cursed under his breath as he chugged a few glasses of water.

Footsteps caused the wood to slightly creak as Ultear entered the room, just waking up from her good night of sleep.

"Mornin'." He greeted her as he chugged another glass.

"Mmmm." She weakly groaned, still drowsy. The teen walked over to a cabinet to pull out some food. "Hey Matt-" She peered out from the cabinet and suddenly stopped talking as she took in the sight in front of her.

"What?" He raised a confused brow after putting away the glass, his body facing her directly.

"I-I'ts nothing." She quickly hid her face.

"Alright then," he shrugged indifferently before stretching. "I'm gonna take a bath."

Matt walked off, leaving the girl with a furious nosebleed staring at a box of cereal.

* * *

Mere hours later, everyone was called out to the deck.

"I've just received word about the possible whereabouts of Lucius." Sarutobi quickly pulled out a map of Earth Land and pointed to the southern tip of Midi. "The Cross Isles, a series of islands interconnected by a large cross-shaped bridge. A recent sighting of a stolen ship in port has caused the Council to request us to look into it if we can. It could just be some basic pirates or refugees, but we aren't sure."

"Why there? There's nothing to gain from that spot. Only commerce there is fishing and some quasi-valuable cotton." Yoru scratched her head in confusion.

"Indeed, it doesn't make much sense. Unless it's a diversion or perhaps the aftereffects of a coup?" Ken attempted to theorize the answer.

"Honestly doesn't matter, we got a job to do regardless." Matt shrugged and simplified the problem.

"Kid's got a point," Yato nodded before punching her open palm. "Besides, I've been cooped up too long and could use some exercise."

"I concur, we should investigate regardless to make sure the civilians are safe." Jura nodded as he stared at the map.

"Isles eh? My magic will be a big help then." Cosmo grinned as he could show off his abilities.

"…" Ultear was oddly silent today.

"Something wrong?" Siegrain pried about her condition.

'Absabsabsabsabsabsabsabsabs.' The mantra looped in her head over and over as the mental image from earlier remained strong.

"…" Hina opted to remain silent not due to teenage hormones, but because talking with such strong personalities was scary.

Sarutobi kept his gaze shut momentarily before his eyes filled with resolve opened.

"Plot our course for the Cross Isles." He spoke to Yoru who nodded and manned the helm, the destination decided upon.

* * *

Further east in the South Ishgarian ocean, a battleship closed in on its target.

"Is this truly our intended destination?" A Swordsman spoke in slight awe of what lay before him.

"Who cares?! I just need to know when I can eat~." Another man licked his lips in ecstasy.

"…" A cloaked behemoth of a man stared on with utter indifference.

"Indeed my comrades! This is where we shall make our debut to the world!" Lucius grinned widely as the opening act of the show was about to reach its end, the flag flying their guild symbol with the color a blazing red and orange.

An ominous black cloud overtook the island they sought, no doubt an attempt at a warning from the world itself.

But the world ultimately bends to the whims of man.

**And that's another chapter down! Welcome back to this unbridled demonstration of my massive oversights when writing!**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Let's just get on with it.**

**So. Lucius. I'm not gonna talk too much about him right now for obvious reasons, but I think he'll be pretty different from what you see in most Fairy Tail antagonists. So I hope you look forward to where his house of cards** **leads our group.**

**We got a pretty sizable cast of ten people we'll be following this time. Naturally we are very familiar with four of them and know Sarutobi decently enough. It's pretty easy to figure out who the rest of the Captain's are based on, so having a wide array of personalities is definitely gonna make for some fun interactions down the line.**

**We do have one other OC though with Cosmo. Some of you are probably pretty curious about his role given who his daddy is. Rest assured, he'll be pretty important for future events.**

**We also have our mysterious pirate group that are all totally, without question, 100% pure genuine evil. The chicken especially. I'm sure some of you are very aware of some of their identities, but I'll just be coy and keep it a "secret" until next time.** **Needless to say, some of you are probably gonna be expecting a homage to a very famous scene/fight that I am all too happy to get to writing.**

**M****att and Sarutobi had a very reminiscent scene for some of you, though it ended in Matt getting completely stomped by the far more experienced giant of a man. These two will definitely be interacting more as the arc goes on, so expect some interesting turns.**

**Lastly as a quick note, I'm pretty damn close to finalizing my next story and will probably have the first chapter of it out before too long. Probably within the next week or two, I'm still finalizing some things. It's definitely a very different read compared to this in many ways. Far less action, more character interactions and far more silent contemplative moments for characters. So if you like how I primarily do dialogue and some darker themes of visceral emotion, give it a looksie when I drop it.**

**This arc will be a bit longer than the previous one, I'm thinking this'll probably be an 8 chapter affair, _maybe_ 9\. Gonna see how I feel while writing these upcoming chapters.**

**With all that said an done, I bid you all adieu.**


	19. Pirates, Wizards, Idiots, Oh my!

**Well hello there once again! It's that time where I occupy myself as society crumbles all around me!**

**Glassedgamer:** Ah! No you are not mistaken dear reader! There's a reason why S-Class has mostly been a passing phrase instead of anything of note. We will get to that point after this arc (spoilers... I guess. I dunno). I will say it does relate to something Matt changed being in this world since, y'know, actions have consequences and all that jazz.

**With that out of our way, please enjoy this chapter. Now excuse me while I go find some toilet paper, I wonder if I'll have better luck if I call it Josh?**

Matt and Sarutobi stood in the crows nest of the ship, overlooking the destination in question. A figure flew over from the island to the duo, the hummingbird-like man floated right by his master.

"Anything?" Matt inquired.

The spirit shook its head, "Nothing but dead silence. No signs of a struggle or anything. It's like everyone just vanished. Place is a ghost town."

Sarutobi remained silent with a contemplative look as Matt used a pair of binoculars to look around before sighing.

"Thanks for the help anyways." He recalled the spirit before looking at the man with him. "So what now? Do we dock by the bridge or should we wait it out? Could be a trap either way."

Normally the Captain would make use of their absurd firepower with the present group of 10 Mages, however that plan went out the window when a second ship was docked in the port; a fact that the intelligence failed to mention to the group. Especially when the boat in question was one of their own. But it didn't matter now, they had to potentially deal with 2 groups of escaped Narakan convicts on top of securing the safety of the civilians _and_ finding out why a Rune Knight ship got stolen.

"…" His eyes remained closed as he went through all the odds and possibilities. "We wait for two hours."

"Any reason why?" The teen raised a brow at the call.

"Two hours would be the maximum amount of time needed between them using the local community Lacrima to relay a ransom to the council and for them to organize a message to us." He explained simply.

"Ah, I see now. Since no signs of a pillaging occurred, you're waiting to see if this is a hostage situation, or an in-fighting one." Matt faintly smirked, as the latter option simply meant they just went in and did some clean up.

Sarutobi nodded as he kept his gaze locked onto the island, feeling something odd coming from the landmass. It wasn't a feeling of dread or even real danger, moreso a feeling of... incompetence.

As these thoughts ran through the Captain's head, the pair was caught off guard by a flare shooting off into the sky, it's bright red luminescence contrasting against the cloudless sky.

"Well, doesn't look like they're willing to wait." Matt raised a brow at the rather bold move.

"It appears so…" Sarutobi sighed, "Very well then." He turned to the helmsman Yoru, "Dock us!"

The woman nodded and took them into port. For what was essentially a connected archipelago, the main port was rather large and intricately designed to fit as many ships as possible, it was reminiscent of a spider web to the Fairy Tail mage. At the center was a large spiral staircase that wrapped around the center pillar of the bridges, a lift was also there for larger cargo based on the more rectangular design.

"How are we doing this? Having all of us just barge in might not be the best idea." Yoru questioned the next course of action as the anchor lowered.

"No, only six of us will be heading directly in." Sarutobi gathered the group at the deck. "Myself, Captain's Yoru and Yato, Matthew, Jura and Ultear shall be heading in directly." He addressed the main assault team. "As for Captain Ken, Captain Hina, Cosmo and Siegrain, the four of you will break into two teams and sneak onto the northern and southern islands."

"How do you reccomend we do that?" The bluenette raised a brow.

Sarutobi gave a silent gesture to Ken and Cosmo, the former nodding and the latter giving a wide smirk.

"I'll take Captain Hina with me, my magic allows me to multitask pretty well in circumstances such as this." With that, his feet glowed a bright green. When the light died down, two bug-like appendages took their places. "Take Over: Insect Soul. These are the legs of a water strider, so I'll simply carry Captain Hina while we head off."

Yato shuddered, "God, that magic always gives me the creeps."

"That's... a unique solution." Matt blinked at the odd variation of the magic, somewhat thankful the Strauss Siblings had far more visually pleasant ones.

"As for myself." Cosmo smirked and jumped off the railing into the water, a glow illuminated the still visible mage as he physically transformed.

What emerged was a Chimera of sea creatures. Dark blue scales all over Cosmo's body, an angler fish's antennae on his head, webbed hands, a large shark tail instead of legs and what looked like suction cups on his elbows and palms. A wicked grin of razor-sharp teeth and white, pupil-less eyes stared at the group of bewildered and creeped out mages.

"Beast Transformation! It's the same magic Wolfheim from the Wizard Saint's uses! Just a water variant!"

"Well at least we got a good variety in our magic users." Matt scratched the back of his head at the other off sight of the day, a feeling he felt would grow even further today.

"Siegrain, you and Cosmo will head to the northern island since he can travel the fastest." Sarutobi spoke to the bluenette who gave an indifferent shrug.

"It's fine," a bubble of air appeared around his head with a wave of his hand. "I can manage."

The Head Captain nodded as Siegrain leap over the railing to join his fishy comrade.

"Remember you two: fish are friends, not food." Matt told the duo who plainly didn't understand his reference and awkwardly nodded before leaving.

'One day damnit! One day someone will get my jokes!' The adult in a teenage body had a midlife crisis while the other departing duo prepared to leave.

"Now then." Ken lifted the girl in his arms, a slight smile on his face. "Is that comfortable for you?"

The girl vigorously nodded as she hid her face in her hands, a massive red blush evident on the corners of her palms.

'''Just fuck already.''' The spunky ladies and Matt unanimously thought with deadpan expressions as he leapt off the edge and ran over the water with her.

'I wonder if this means Jesus was part bug. Huh, maybe those wacko theories about aliens building ancient advanced architecture were all true. Oh god, what if jesus was an alien?! Does that mean most of the world worshipped Cthulu all along?!' The teen's mind trailed off as he let out a tired sigh. "I need friends my own age."

"What was that?" Ultear raised a brow at him.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Let's just get a move on before the heat death of the universe."

"What's a universe?" Her innocent question caused the teen to momentarily stumble in his tracks.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. Let's just go please." Today was gonna be a _long_ day.

* * *

The group of six walked up the large staircase cautiously with Sarutobi taking the lead. His raised hand causing them to stop.

"Do you feel that?" He questioned without looking back.

"Yeah, it's faint, practically invisible, but I feel some magic power." Matt nodded as his scowl deepened.

"Whoever this is must be pretty experienced." Yoru didn't even notice her longer held breaths.

"And they gotta be strong!" Yato excitedly grinned.

"We should take caution though, who knows if this is part if their plan or not." Jura was already preparing a spell.

"Either way, we gotta keep going." Ultear rationalized to the unanimous nod of the group.

Just before the top of the stairs, and by extension the exit, was within a few steps, Sarutobi stopped the group and summoned a spear from his Requip space.

Taking the cue, everyone readied a weapon or spell. And with his fiat closing, they charged up, ready to fight whatever opponent await them.

"BAKAWK!" A green chicken crowed innocently as it walked around.

"""...""" They looked at the animal and felt incredibly stupid for thinking it was the enemy.

"MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" A maniacal laugh descended at the group from the heavens as a large figure glided down to them.

"""!""" They all immediately assumed combat positions as the figure got closer and closer.

The whites of his eyes became visible when-

"AYEEEEEEEE!!!" He overshot the landing and fell into the water, a large splashing noise and the breaking of deck signaling his landing.

"So... highly dangerous criminals eh?" Matt spoke out loud as Sarutobi groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

The figure then shot back up and landed on the platform, absolutely soaked as he stood there.

"Long have I awaited for your arrival. And long has this world awaited for my arrival! It was destiny that we would meet here on this great bridge! For the man that stand before you all today is I: Gilgamesh!" He struck a magnificent pose. "And my partner Enkidu."

"Bakawk!" The painted chicken crowed.

"I never realized chuuni's count as highly dangerous criminals." Matt snarked. Back home the prison system would be a mess of teens if this system was in effect.

"Please just be quiet." Sarutobi begged the teen to stop, this was already bad enough on their image as is.

"Indeed! Enough with the expository banter!" He summoned a long pole arm which he twirled before taking a stance. "For now we fight like men!"

"Naturally." Matt nodded in agreement.

"And ladies!"

"Of course!" Ultear swiped her hair back with a grin.

"And cultists!"

"Wait wha-" Yato went to speak, but got cut off.

"AND WOMEN WHO DRESS LIKE CULTISTS!" The poor man was having a hard time keeping track of all these kinds of people.

"I think he's talking about you guys." The teen held back a chortle as the Rune Knights were just attributed to blind koolaid drinkers… wait a minute.

Matt shook his head to clear that thought as he stepped forward.

"You guys go on ahead, I'll handle this guy." He held a faint grin as he kept his gaze locked on the bafoon before his eyes.

"Don't be so hasty Matt." Jura tried to talk the teen down.

"I gotta pull double duty: kicking this guys ass and keeping the ship safe. Best to have one guy that can handle both do it instead of wasting resources." His argument was rather sound, the kabuki oni could deliberately attack their only means of transportation.

That is unless…

'Why didn't I think of that?!' The walking reference chided himself as the group in front of him spoke.

"He's got a point Sarutobi, these other guys could be even more dangerous than just him." Yoru glanced at the other islands where an opponent likely lie in wait for them.

"…" The large man kept silent.

"I don't know if I'm comfortable leaving a kid to do this all alone." Yato looked at the confident Matt and couldn't help but see someone else in his place.

"…" Ultear remained neutral, she knew how strong Matt was and how he could handle himself.

"Can you handle it?" The man questioned Matt who simply smirked even wider.

"Who the hell do ya think you're talking to?"

He looked at the teen for a moment before sighing.

"...Yoru and Ultear will break for the eastern island, the rest of us will head to the western one." The Captain adamantly ordered as the group reluctantly nodded and broke off, leaving Matt alone with the man.

"Rather nice of you to just let them go like that." Matt complimented his opponent honestly.

"Hmph. Anyone who would face me alone and allow his buddies to press onward deserves my respect!" He took a combative stance. "Now show me this strength you posses!"

The teen summoned a black katana and smirked as he also took a stance, "My pleasure.

* * *

Cosmo and Siegrain quickly made land on the southern beach of the northern island. This island went by the name of Genbu and primarily exported seafood goods.

The duo quickly took cover behind a rock after making landfall and looked over the situation.

Neither spotted any signs of a fight or struggle, which meant either everyone was taken quietly, or they managed to pretty up the place after the fight. Neither boded well for the mission.

Normally Siegrain could absolutely care less about such things, however making the mission as much of a positive success as possible would help greatly in his later ambitions.

"I'll advance into the center of the island, you keep close to the coast since your magic works better by the water." Siegrain formulated a plan.

"I have more than one form you know? How do you think I made S-Class? Don't underestimate a member of the Element 4!" Cosmo smirked as he marched forward, much to Siegrain's chargin.

The animal instincts given to Cosmo allowed him to narrowly dodge a shuriken that went right for… his shin.

"Drat! I missed!" The voice of a young girl cursed.

"Get behind cover!" Cosmo ducked behind a tree as Siegrain took refuge with a large rock.

The voice confidently laughed, "Hiding won't stop my miraculous aim! The Great Ninja Yuffie shan't be hindered by mere stone and wood!"

She threw out two handfuls of shuriken. Half of which missed by a large margin, and the other half actually got close to nailing the duo.

"I'll draw her fire. You get her!" Cosmo immediately rushed around the tree's, shouting and making as much noise as possible to get the girl's attention.

"Damn fool has a death wish." Siegrain spat out before smirking, "though at least he's a good pincushion." The teen rushed into action, hopping over the rock and flinging some fireballs at the direction of the shuriken, catching some trees on fire in the process.

"Hey!" The girl shouted, "These people need the trees! Don't go burning them willy nilly!"

As the teen threw another fireball right where he heard the voice, a large black mass consumed the magic entirely, leaving nothing behind.

"What?!" The teen couldn't dodge the attack reemerging from his own shadow, nailing him square in the back and sending him rolling.

"Siegrain!" Cosmo attempted to rush over, but his ankle was caught by a shadow and his form was suspended in the air. "Let me go damnit!" He swore and tried to break free.

Siegrain got back up after a moment, that fireball packing more punch than the others as he intended to kill with it. He noticed the girl had also put out the remaining fires too.

'What the hell is this?! A dark mage caring about damage to the environment? Not to mention the fact she could have killed me and Cosmo right there, but didn't!' As much as he didn't want to admit it, something was wrong about this. And he did not like the direction this was all heading.

* * *

"Looks like we made it." Ken was somewhat out of breath as he put Hina down on a beach of the isle. The southern island of Suzaku, a place prominent for cotton of a good quality and unique flowers of a vermillion color.

Hina didn't speak as her embarrassment kept her from doing so. Ken glanced around, using his advanced senses to try and pick up anything.

"I'm getting nothing, how about you?" He sighed and looked to her for information.

The girl immediately snapped into action as she "glanced" around for a moment before shaking her head. Hina couldn't see in a traditional sense, but she had a special eye magic that allows her to see Ethernano itself. Ethernano is kinda like dust when not being absorbed by mages or into local leylines, hotspots of the stuff in the ground. So this meant she could basically see everything she needed to. Granted no color and high detail were slightly depressing, but it was better than nothing at all.

"Nothing. Not even a sign of a recently used spell."

That immediately threw the other Captain on guard. Hina could detect if a spell was used even up to five days ago, well before the distress signal was received by the council.

"Let's go, but be careful, we don't know who we're dealing with here." He spoke cautiously.

The girl nodded as they slowly went through the forest and soon entered a large clearing of a small town. Each island had about three or four towns of ranging sizes, this one appeared to be the smallest of this particular isle.

Ken stopped in his tracks, Hina following suit as he looked around.

"What's wrong?" She questioned the man as he tried to find something.

"It's faint, but I can smell people." He scowled as he sniffed the air.

"How many?"

"A lot. Probably the entire islands population if I'm honest."

"Well then we should hurry and find them!" She reccomend as he nodded afterwards.

As the duo set off to locate the hostages, they were besieged by a weapon striking the ground in front of them.

"Now hold on there!" The voice of a young man spoke to the duo. "That's as far as you bastards go. I got strick orders to make sure you don't get those grubby hands on these innocents." He smirked at the duo who stood on-guard.

"Who are you?" Ken scowled as he prepared a counterattack.

"Me? Why you're about to get your butts kicked by the one and only Joseph Jones!" He pointed to himself proudly.

'He was part of that pirate crew that got busted a couple weeks back. What are they doing here?' The white-haired man tried to figure out why they broke off from Lucius' group, however he waited too long as a trio of clacker balls headed right for them.

The pair dodged as Joseph kept them moving instead of thinking, making sure no plans could potentially be formed.

'Damn! He's good at reading our movements!' Ken swore as he hopped and ducked around the onslaught, one clacker set managing to ensnare itself on his arm, but didn't hinder mobility.

What Joseph wasn't expecting was the blind girl actually going on the offensive.

Hina charged forward, Joseph's magically summoned weapons being easy reads and dodges for her as the distance between the two became much shorter at an alarming rate.

Joseph went to dodge, but found he couldn't move his legs at all.

"Wha?!" He felt his feet become stuck to the ground as Ken shot webbing at the appendages from his mouth.

"You're all clear Hina!"

The girl didn't respond as she leapt up into the air, a powerful palm strike prepped while Joseph looked on… as Hina struck Ken square in the jaw, a tooth flying from his mouth.

She looked on in evident shock as Ken was _not_ there even a microsecond ago. Joseph had used a magic in relation to his weapon of choice that Hina soon figured out as Ken and Joseph once again swapped places and the attack of dual clackers he'd prepped crashed square into her abdomen, sending her to the floor a fair bit away.

"Hina!" Ken growled at the man who still wore a confident smirk, firmly in control of the battle.

"Don't think you can beat me! Scum like you two aren't gonna lay a hand on these people!" Joseph cursed the duo with a hint of genuine anger.

'This doesn't make sense! Why is a dark mage fighting to protect some civilians?!' Ken swore as he stood up once again, continuing the battle.

* * *

Yoru and Ultear raced across the bridge as Matt commenced his battle with that giant oaf. The pair of girls heading for Byakko, the eastern island that specializes in craftsmanship and carpentry. Normally a rather cool place due to the large, towering trees that kept a lot of sunlight and wind at bay, was now absolutely freezing as the pair kept walking furthur into the island.

"Is it just me, or is it getting way too damn cold?" Ultear shivered as the pair slowed to a walk in the middle of a dirt path.

"No, the temperature dropped an insane amount not long after we set foot on here. Yet I can't see any snow or ice at all." Yoru scowled as she knew they were being watched.

"Mwahahaha! That would be because of me!" A figure swooped down from the sky with wings of ice, the small girl had a cocky grin as she eyed her opponents.

"So this is all your doing?" Yoru scowled at the girl.

"But of course! This is nothing for Cirino! The strongest there is!" The girl struck a pose.

"Strongest there is?" Ultear raised a brow at the bole claim. Master Hades was leaps and bounds above this girl, she didn't even need to see a spell to be certain of that.

"Yup! And I've been waiting all this time for you to show up! Making sure everyone was kept out of your reach!" She gave an arrogant shrug, "I even left the door open so they could hear me defeat you two."

"Wait." The older woman stopped her. "You left the door open to where the civilians are?"

"Of course!"

"And then you started to freeze the island?"

"Yup!"

"… Did you make sure they were able to stay warm?"

"Of- …" The girl blinked a few times. "AAAAAHHHHH CRAP! THE BOSS WILL KILL ME!!!!" She then flew off, likely to make sure a bunch of popsicles didn't await her.

"... I'm starting to think Matt had a point back there." Ultear gave a dry look to the woman.

"Poor management decisions aside, isn't it odd? How she made it seem like _we_ were the bad guys?"

"Now that you mention it…"

"Something must be going on here. The fact that one of those other ships belongs to the Rune Knights is probably a hint." The woman groaned. "I'm not good with this kind of stuff, Sarutobi or Matt seem more like the type to piece this stuff together."

As the duo spoke, the girl returned, slightly less bravado in her step.

"I return once again! But don't expect it to happen a third time! For I shall defeat you here and now!" A wicked smile crawled up her lips.

"Ultear, back me up." Yoru removed the cloak of the outfit and took a fighting stance.

"Got it." She nodded at the woman.

"Absolute Zero!" The girl stomped her foot to the ground, coating it in a thick layer of ice as it quickly made its way to the others.

Ultear waved her hand and melted the ice around them.

"I can deal with any ice that gets close to me, but I can't help you if you get too far." The teen advised the woman.

"Heh, not a problem, got a solution just for this!" She raised her arm to the side as magic power circled around her, growing hotter and hotter, melting the nearby ice. "Fire Goddess Mode!" The back of her shirt exploded along with the sleeves as flames danced around her body wickedly.

A technique that utilizes the Ethernano of the air and the magic power in the body. By exciting the internal supply and drawing in local Ethernano for a recharge, an ignition loop is created where the excited raw magic becomes fire magic without the need of knowing any fire spells.

Before Cirino could react, Yoru was already hot on her heels with an axe kick ready.

"Crusher Glacier!" A massive ice glacier shot from the sky and separated the duo, though it was quickly melted away from Yoru and Ultear's magics being the worst matchups for ice magic.

However the girl did not waver as she barely ducked under a kick and dodged a sphere that punched a hole in a tree.

"Don't think you've won yet!" She channeled her power and dispersed it into the air, sending a chilling wave of frost everywhere.

"That's not good enough!" Yoru smirked and punched a fresh wall of ice in front of her, what she had failed to notice was her fire was no longer present. Pain shot up her hand as blood trickled from the newly bloody knuckles.

'Did she just freeze the Ethernano in the air?!' Yoru swore as she leapt back to dodge some icy spikes, sliding on the ground next to Ultear who removed the ice on her Lacrima.

"Can you keep going?" The teen questioned, not taking her gaze off of Cirino.

"Yeah, some busted knuckles never stopped me before." The woman gave a reassuring nod as she stood back up.

'But still, this one is tough. The strength warrants an S-ranking for Naraka, but the personality sure as hell don't.' The woman scowled as she began to question some of the higher up decisions.

* * *

The final trio made their way over to Seiryū, the final island of the four. This island was where the main governmental hub was as nothing of remarkable note was on the island itself, making it perfect for normal ongoings.

Sarutobi lead Yato and Jura through the thick forest in an attempt to stay hidden, his gaze and senses on high alert. Jura however lagged a bit, something not feeling right to him.

"Is something wrong Jura?" The older man asked without averting his gaze.

"The earth." He scowled at the ground suspiciously.

"What about the dirt? Seems the same to me." Yato walked over and kicked a rock.

What she didn't expect was the ground to open up beneath her into a deep pit with plenty of spikes at the bottom.

"Oh crap!" She yelled as she barely grabbed Jura's staff.

"I've got you!" He shouted as Sarutobi helped pull her up.

"What the hell was that?!" She demanded answers while her heart hammered against her ribcage.

"Oh my, looks like you found one of my traps." A voice echoed through the forest.

"Who are you?" Sarutobi asked as he looked around for the source of the voice.

"Heh, haven't gone by an actual name in years, but everyone seems content calling me Hood these days." The voice mused as its owner knew he was in complete control.

"Hood? As in the Pirate Captain?" Sarutobi kept him talking.

"Bingo! Though expecting any less from the Council's favorite lapdog would be rather stupid." The voice plainly mocked the man.

"Sarutobi-dono, I figured out what it was I was feeling earlier." Jura pulled the duo closer as they formed a circle, all three sets of eyes looking a different way. "The ground itself is false in many areas, any minute disturbances will cause it to form into one of those pits."

"You're saying we're trapped?!" Yato swore as her teeth were grit in frustration.

"Not quite, I can feel the disturbances and could navigate through to safety. Perhaps even finding our opponent in the process."

"… Do it." He nodded at the younger man who solemnly nodded before following an intricate path to avoid any danger.

Jura was avoiding the traps just fine, until a trip wire was triggered, causing a mass of wooden spikes to spring from around a tree. The made barely managed to block by making some pillars of earth, however his shin and forearm were stabbed in the process.

"Jura!" Sarutobi swore as he failed to realize there were non-magical traps as well.

He removed his limbs from the trap with a hiss of pain and rested against a tree.

"You okay big guy?!" Yato wanted to go help, but given her last experience, she'd just get in the way.

"I'm fine! But I unfortunately won't be moving from here since my mobility was severely hampered." The man swore as he applied pressure to the wounds.

'So now we're trapped like rats. Traps we can't see or detect beneath us. Traps that are hidden at an expert level. To top it all off, our opponent knows the terrain and our location.' Sarutobi allowed a small grin to rise up. 'Looks like I'll have to break out my own blend of magic then.'

* * *

The black katana parried the quick spear strike as the pole arm was twirled and immediately used for another attack. Gilgamesh putting pressure on the boy half his size and a quarter of his weight.

'A straight fight won't work here!' Matt deflected a strike and ducked under another, his counterattack parried effortlessly by the man. 'He's got the raw physical abilities that far outclass mine and he's as good as Gearfried is with a spear!' The teen parried another strike and used the opportunity to back away, coming up with a new plan.

"Hahahaha! You certainly warrant some admiration for keeping up with the great Gilgamesh!" The man smiled widely, excitement clearly visible.

"Yeah yeah, whatever Greg." Matt thoughtlessly responded as he gazed around and formed a new plan.

"My name is not Greg!"

"Whatever you say." Matt's stance went low as his feet dug into the ground, he quickly dashed towards the man.

Gilgamesh swung the weapon downwards at the teen, sparks flew off the metal as Matt deflected the blade, his charge continuing and stopping just behind the legs of Gilgamesh. The teen then twisted his body to try and cleave the tender muscle behind the knee, but was interrupted by the spear he'd deflected being stabbed into the ground.

"Nice try! But that won't stop-" Gilgamesh cut himself off as he saw Matt smirk.

The man barely dodged a large sword that shot up from the ground. A new trick thanks to Matt evolving Scatter Point. Connecting his own magic into the earth was rather difficult for a non-earth magic, but the sneak attack payoff was worth it.

Matt, using the spear as a springboard, leapt up and went to cleave the head off of Gilgamesh. Unfortunately for Matt, Gilgamesh had tricks of his own, such as knowing Requip.

The teen barely dodged the stab of a sword, a cut forming along his abdomen as he kicked and rolled away from his opponent.

"Very good!" The man praised as he lifted the spear up from the ground. "I think it's time we took things up a notch."

'This guy is just a damn bag of tricks. Though it takes one to know one.' A bitter grin rose onto Matt's face as Gilgamesh's torso began glowing.

"You fight well! And for that, it's Gilgamesh's Morphing Time!" As his shouted ended, six new arms bursted out from his body, giving him a total of eight now.

Matt's eyes resembled saucers at the trick. Gilgamesh then summoned weapons for all of his limbs. The right side in descending order had a tekko kagi, the old spear, a morning star, and the old sword. His left side had a mace, another sword, an open hand and then a dagger.

"Heh." Matt smirked, "Well then I guess I'll have to have some fun too!"

A bright light came from each of his hands as two key-like weapons, one black and one white appeared in them. He twirled them around and took a wide stance with them.

"Now the real fight begins!" The man proclaimed as the duo continued their battle on the big bridge.

**Once again I welcome you all back! This chapter was on the shorter side since it was just a lot of set up for a ton of action next time.**

**We certainly met a wide variety of personalities this time. From a big idiot, to a pair of medium sized idiots and to a small idiot. Their poor boss stuck in the middle with them all.**

**I'll be going more in-depth with the fights next time so I'm not gonna bother going over them this chapter.**

**I had a lot of fun making this group as dumb and yet scary as possible. So why not have an incredibly powerful warrior, a very talented young ninja, a genius young man, the strongest fairy and the man from Loxley make an ensemble? Will we see more of them after this arc? Oh I don't know, it's ju- yes. Yes we will. Of fucking course I'm gonna make this group recurring for some fun every now and then.**

**Needless to say, some odd ongoings are certainly taking root if these people believe our group to be the villains. Without question the good ol' corrupt council is probably having a hand in this.**

**Before I leave you all, I know I said I don't do Omake's during arc's with an exception of the next one, but I could not resist this idea when it popped up.**

**With all that said and done, I bid you all adieu.**

**Omake: Stop! You've Violated the Law! (non-canon)**

As Matt and the large man faced off, he summoned a familiar black katana to start off with.

"Well then, he who strikes first!" He leapt into the air as black and red energy came unhinged around the blade. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

"Stop!" The man yelled out a desperate plea.

"Huh?" Matt stopped midair, face planting in confusion. "THE HELL DO YOU MEAN STOP?!" He shouted as he quickly stood up.

"You can't use that weapon or attack!"

"Why not?!"

"Do you want this fanfiction to get copyright striked?! I just made my debut too damnit!" He begged the teen to stop.

"Copyright striked?! You are literally a walking reference!" The teen stated the obvious.

"There's a difference of slight artistic interpretation to an existing character and flat-out plagiarism!"

"Bullshit! Those suits don't care! Can they not read?! This is fan fiction! There doesn't need to be a disclaimer or anything!"

"HAVE YOU NOT SEEN JAPANESE EXECUTIVES?!" The man cried out in horror.

"... Fuck this, I'm just gonna attack." He charged it up again. "Getsuga Ten-

**We at apologize but due to copyright issues King of Games has been removed at the request of [redacted]. We hope you all understand and apologize for the inconvenience.**

"It's bullshit!" Matt shouted in the void of copyright hell. He glanced over to see a familiar orange squirrel, grizzled solider with an eyepatch and man with a large pyramid on his head.

"First time?" The squirrel asked.

"...Yup."

"You get used to it." The solider began to eat some snake.

"..." The last man remained as silent as a hill...top.

"I blame my shitty author."

"**Why the fuck did I write this****?**" The untalented author questioned the importance of such a dumb skit in the middle of a dramatic story arc that only kills the entire mood.

"**No seriously though, why?**"


	20. Battle for the Cross

**Hello once again! As usual it's that point where 90% of you skip me answering questions to get on with the story!**

**Darkmaster10000000: **Yes! Yes! Embrace the cheese! No seriously embrace it, it won't be all that common whatsoever for at least pre-canon.

**xPricefieldx: **I probably will eventually compile the omakes into their own fic at some point. Most likely when I plan to have my two breaks over the course of this fic. Ideally you could just always go back and read them after catching up if you just wanna blitz through. It's pretty easy to tell which chapters have them and which don't.

**Lord-of-walruses: **Y'know I may eventually do an FF14 fic one day. I'd need a refresher on the story and side quests on top of a myriad of other hurdles to eventually do it, but the idea is on my radar.

**Okay you impatient people, here's the chapter. Enjoy!**

The pair of clashing warriors danced around the bridge in a dance that requires inhuman movements and agility. Matt's arms closer resembled blurs than anything remotely solid as he parried and blocked attacks from eight separate sources, all the while making sure his footwork keeps him ready for any offensive opportunity. Gilgamesh had a wide smile across his face as the teen he fought against held his own even against four times the pressure.

As Matt deflected the spear and saw the hand claws incoming, his opportunity arose. Using the odd end of Oathkeeper, he jammed the end of the blade into the open slots of the claws. With as much strength as his body could muster, he yanked the limb down and leapt up, twisting midair to wrap the end of Oblivion right at the man's neck. Unfortunately Gilgamesh was a quick thinker and used his free hand to grab Matt's overextended leg and chucked him across from his own position, dislodging his blade from the claws too.

While in the air, Matt spun and threw the black blade as hard as he could. The weapon carved into the stone and came to a stop. Matt twisted himself and used the propped blade the stop his roll, his weight sending it grinding through the stone another ten feet until the improvised pillar came to a atop.

The teen stood atop the weapon, wiping the blood away from his forehead to prevent the ruby fluid from blinding him. Both men were coated in lacerations all over, blood freely dripping from various points off their bodies. His gaze was solely focused on the eight-foot giant in front of him.

"Hahahaha! Magnificent!" The man praised as he tossed his cracked weapon away. "I'll need a higher caliber of weapon if I wish to defeat you!" He did just that as every weapon was replaced by a seemingly stronger version of the last, though Matt raised a brow as the gold ones. Did the man think fancy appearance equaled a higher quality of weapon?

Matt opted to keep his mouth shut about that as he could inadvertently disadvantage himself. He stepped off the blade and kicked it into the air, catching it easily before it landed back on the ground and immediately breaking into a charge.

Imagine Gilgamesh's shock when the teen chucked the two weapons at him. The man quickly deflected the objects, but the distraction proved strong enough for Matt to slip between the man's legs. Gilgamesh was then tipper back by a pair of hammer's shooting out from the tips of his feet. As the large man fell back, Matt wrapped as much of his arms as he could around the man's waist.

With absurd abdominal strength for a teenager, Matt lifted the man overhead and assaulted him with a german suplex hard enough to crack the ground around the pair a good fifteen feet.

Gilgamesh's eyes bugged out as his head was driven into the ground like a spike, all the while Matt perfectly arched his back to make sure the man became a human golf tee. When the man was neck-deep in the cobblestone, Matt let go and kicked himself to an upright position, backing off and calling his blades back to his hands from the ground. The teen breathed rather heavily after that display of strength, he hoped a concussion would reward his efforts, but those were dashed as the giant merely rolled his body back and lifted his head up.

The kabuki oni spat out some rubble before wickedly grinning, "Good try! But you've a long way to go before you do that to trains!"

Matt's eye twitched at the absurdity of that statement, but decided it was best to ignore it, his efforts better spent figuring out how to at the very least incapacitate the warrior standing before him.

Without wasting a moment, the duo immediately resumed their clash. Sparks flying off their weapons as the steel groaned in agony over the abuse it was receiving from the clash of the two mages. Matt bobbed and weaved against any attack the man flung past his defenses. Gilgamesh was able to simply parry or guard the attacks due to all his extra arms providing ample support. Little did he know that Matt already had a good idea on how to make use of the extra limbs for his counterattack.

The two clashed and held steadfast against each others strength, until the teen locked Gilgamesh's weapons in place thanks to Scatter Point also being able to shoot horizontally now.

"What's this?!" Gilgamesh cried as he desperately tried to yank his weapons free, however his eyes widened as he realized the manner in which they were locked prevented him from letting go as his arms were tangled uncomfortably.

Gilgamesh was too distracted to notice Matt cock his fist back and drive the limb straight into his solar plexus, the hand sinking into the abundant flesh of the man. Matt hissed in pain as it felt like he just punched through a cinderblock wall, but pressed onwards as his foe spat out bile and walked back, clutching the impact zone.

Matt breathed heavily as Gilgamesh fell to his knees.

"Not…. bad." He wheezed out as he literally felt his organs slide back into place after that punch. "It looks like I've only got enough left in me for one more blow." The man rose to his feet, his extra arms disappearing. "Be honored young warrior, none have seen this blade and lived to tell the tale!"

The teen clicked his tongue and dislodged his weapons from the mess he created.

A golden glow appeared in Gilgamesh's hands as he placed one atop the other, both slightly open as the blade was summoned. In his hands was a beautiful, ornate blade of gold that glowed in the sunlight.

Matt dryly swallowed as he scowled at the weapon, preparing himself for a potential bloodbath.

"Now witness the unrivaled power!" Gilgamesh took a stance and charged, his stomps sending the rubble into the air slightly. "EXCALIPOOR!"

Matt's black blade surgee forward to meet the sword when-

**WHOOSH**

The golden sword broke in half at the millisecond of contact.

""…"" Both men stared at the sight, slowly blinking and not speaking.

Matt looked back to Oblivion, then back to Excalipoor, then back to Gilgamesh who was now nervously sweating.

The teen then stood upright and waked over to the raised ledge of the bridge. He swung the blade at the lip, shattering the nearly broken sword after all that fighting. He raised a brow at Gilgamesh, wondering what the man was thinking.

'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-' Sweat poured down his brow like a broken faucet.

"Bakawk…" Even the painted chicken was embarrassed for the man.

"AHAHAHA! SO YOU HAVE BESTED THE FAKE I TESTED YOU WITH!" He boasted loudly to the teen.

"Wait wha-"

"BUT FOR NOW MY RIVAL!" He de-summoned the blade, "OUR DUEL ENDS FOR NOW!" Then he ran towards the ledge. "UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN!"

The chicken then caught up to him as he leapt off and grabbed onto the small legs of the creature.

"FLY ENKIDU! FLY!" The poor chicken flapped as hard as it could with Gilgamesh trying to swim in the air with the motions of his legs, until…

They both fell like a sack of rock into the ocean.

"... I'm not paid enough for this." The teen groaned and allowed his weapons to disappear before stretching. "Now then, where to go next?" He pondered with a hand to his chin before he felt a draft of air from below. "Oh?"

Matt looked down where Gilgamesh's head had sunk into the stone and found the area to be hollow.

"Hmmm. I could spend time channeling my inner Sherlock Holmes to find the switch." He put a hand to his chin. "Ooooor." Matt drew a card and summoned Dark Magician who blasted a hole into the floor, revealing a staircase. "Holmes never had high-grade explosives… or did he?" The teen shrugged after that thought and descended the stairs after ordering Dark Magician to watch the ship.

"I swear to god if I find a zombie down here I will make Red-Eyes carpet bomb this place." Matt sighed as he made his way down the steps which echoed out somewhere.

Eventually he found the point of interest, the stairs led out into a massive tunnel system. This was Ouryuu, a hidden system used by the military back when these islands served as a major naval base for Enca in the first Trade War. Transportation of weapons, parts, supplies and the like all transpired here, out of sight and out of mind.

"Huh, modern engineering be damned." He saw the four massive passageways and scratched his head before playfully twirling his finger. "Eenie meenie miney- this one." Matt walked off into a random tunnel.

* * *

Siegrain swore as he dodged another of his own fireballs, this one firing at him from the shadow of a large rock.

'There has to be some method to this magic!' The bluenette ran to take cover behind a tree, the distant cries of Cosmo barely audible to him. He'd already drawn the conclusion that as long as he didn't attack, she couldn't miraculously teleport them to him via a shadow.

"Fufufu." The girl chuckled, "What's the matter? Scared of the Great Ninja?!" Her taunt was blatantly obvious, but to Siegrain, it confirmed she didn't know where he was.

A temporary sigh of relief escaped from the teen as he regained the edge of the fight. Now the next step was figuring out how to even land a hit on the girl.

As he began thinking things over, the girl chucked some shuriken into a shadow.

Siegrain placed a hand over his mouth as he felt cold steel pierce his flesh. With his head shaking in pain, he saw that a group of shuriken had impaled themselves into his soft flesh, blood leaking from the wounds slowly, but surely.

"Oh? He's a tough one." The girl mused as Cosmo yelled at her, still helplessly suspended in the air, his magic having absolutely zero medium, or even long range attacks. "Would you pipe down already?!" She yelled at the man and placed a shadow over his mouth, silencing him.

After pulling out the shuriken of his back, biting his belt while doing so, Siegrain once again got to thinking after setting up a rock wall behind himself.

'She's somehow hitting me without even being in sight. Let alone the fact her attacks are completely untraceable.' However, that thought made him pause. 'Wait. No. That's not right at all. Every magic has an explanation and a weakness. Think. She uses some kind of shadow magic. And she compliments it with weapons. Any attack I throw at her gets eaten up by the shadow and launched directly at me. I'd attempt the reverse, but I can't risk giving away my position.'

The girl sighed as she pulled out a kunai, "Guess I'll have to be a bit more cruel then." She grimaced as she stabbed the shadow, the blade disappearing and coming to a hard stop as she knew it met flesh. The girl winced as she twisted the blade and pulled it back, the end smeared with the familiar red liquid.

Siegrain panted in agony as the blade exited his shoulder. As he writhed on the ground for a moment, he caught a glimpse of something that made his pained expression twist into a murderous glee.

Yuffie turned to face the rustling bushes as Siegrain came charging out, firing a typical fireball.

"This again?" She sighed and willed the shadow to eat the attack, her exasperated expression with her eyes closed made her miss an object being flung right by her. That face morphed as a hot, searing pain consumed her back and flung her off the tree branch she'd grown so attached to. "W-what?!"

As the girl fell, she summoned a shadow which she dove into, disappearing from sight.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhh!!!" Cosmo, now free from his shadow bindings, fell onto a large bush that broke his fall. He lifted his head and spat out some leaves and twigs that'd gotten into his mouth. "Siegrain!" The man got up and ran over to the teen who was clutching his shoulder. "How'd you do that?!"

The teen smirked, "Simple, those shuriken she chucked at us earlier were a distraction. What she actually did was stab our shadows with special black shuriken. They seemed to act like tracers that allowed her to attack any target she choses with the tag on or even move to them."

"Nice!" Cosmo exclaimed with a fist pump, "Now we know her trick so she can't do it anymore!" A wide smirk was across his face, an opposite expression to Siegrain's own.

"Maybe, but don't rule anything out. For all we know this could've just been the easy phase she uses to start out fights." He kept an eye out for any anomalies in the surroundings.

"Y-yeah, you're right." Cosmo nodded firmly and went back-to-back with the teen.

Any brush of wind or simple animal noise would cause the two to immediately tense. They remained like this for a few moments, sweat beading down Cosmo's head.

"M-Maybe she left? She hasn't shown herself since that attack backfired?" The Phantom Lord mage nervously glanced back-and-forth.

"No. If she claims to be a ninja, let alone a great one, then I've little doubt she's watching us right now. Taking this fight seriously like she should've from the start." His words only caused Cosmo to tense even further before Siegrain realized something. "Cosmo?"

"Yeah?"

"Did she throw anything at you while you were suspended?"

"… I-I don't think so-"

"Move!!!" The teen mule kicked the other mage away and rolled forward, both barely dodging the blades of the girl who shot up from Cosmo's shadow.

"You won't get me this time!" As the older mage rushed forward, his body slowly morphing into a new form, the girl flung a kunai at him, cutting the soft flesh of the eyelid. "GAH!!" He stopped transforming and fell to the ground, clutching the cut flesh as blood poured from the wound.

Siegrain went on the offensive, shooting out a scatter blast of flames which the girl dodged with ease and expertise. The teen clicked his tongue as the girl kept her momentum as she dodged and advanced towards him.

He ducked under the pair of chucked weapons and guarding a crushing axe kick, his forearms trembling in pain. Siegrain slid his arms apart and gripped the leg, throwing the girl towards a towering tree.

The girl seamlessly pulled out another knife and dug it into the tree, grinding around the trunk and using the physics to launch her right back at Siegrain who met the foot with his arms again, his body sliding back and digging into the ground.

Siegrain cried out in pain as a shuriken dug into his back.

'When the hell?!' As he tried to contemplate when she managed to nail his shadow with another of her tracers, Yuffie used the opening to leap over the teen and dig her heel into the back of his head, sending him face-first into the ground.

The girl twisted herself midair and landed with her hands up like she was waiting for applause, a smug expression on her face.

"Now then criminal scum, I'll make sure you both get what's coming to you-" The girl was cut off by a flare flying high into the air. "Huh?! But Bo~ss." She complained like a child and stamped her feet a bit before sighing. "Well, it looks like you managed to get off easy this time. But next time, the Great Ninja Yuffie will not take it easy on you!" The girl then disappeared into her own shadow, leaving the pair of defeated mages on the ground.

Cosmo got up first, clutching his eye in pain. Thankfully it only cut the eyelid, not the actual eye itself.

"Hey Siegrain, you alright?" He walked over to the teen who had just dug his head out of the ground.

The older man backed off as he saw the aura of pure fury emanating from his body. Siegrain punched the ground in pure ire as he soaked in his extremely easy loss. Theoretically, he could have beaten her if he didn't feel the need to keep his true magic under wraps like this.

Next time would be different.

Next time, no idea of mercy would taint his conscience.

* * *

Ken spat out a wad of blood in his mouth from the now broken tooth Hina had sent flying. The girl still looking incredibly guilty over that as she got back up, clutching her bruised ribs.

'Looks like this guy can swap the positions of anything his clackers are snared around.' He yanked the cord off his arm and threw it to the ground. 'However, I doubt that's his only trick. He still wouldn't be that confident if I just figured out his secret.'

True enough, Joseph still retained an air of confidence as he smirked at the duo of Rune Knights.

"Insect Soul: Flannel Moth!" A pair of wings sprouted on Ken's back as he shot up into the air.

"Hoho? Flight won't give you the superiority you think it does!" Joseph smirked as he chucked a volley of Clackers at the Rune Knight.

"Who says the flight is what I was going for?" Ken spun and allowed his wings to stiffen.

Joseph contemplated the meaning for a moment before going wide-eyed.

A barrage of spines shot out of the wings, this species of moth known from being the evolved form of a rather venomous caterpillar.

The young man dove behind a house, the structure being riddled with the attack as it broke the windows and shredded the walls.

"People live there you bastard!" Joseph criticized the recklessness of the Rune Knight.

"So? We'll help rebuild later." The man used the same response he'd been using for years by now when that complaint came up. "For now, taking you down and saving the hostages is priority number one."

"That's a riot coming from you!" Joseph launched a counterattack by ricocheting some clackers off the neighboring houses wall.

Ken dodged the attack as Hina circled around, moving at surprising speeds for her stature. Her palm strikes were all dodged by a hairs breadth as Joseph was pushed out into the open where Ken was now on the ground, changing in himself with odd, pointed nails on his hands.

"Oh no, I'm cornered!" Joseph cried out as Ken was just about to jab him with the stingers. "Kidding!" Joseph vanished by shattering into a million pieces like glass.

The Rune Knights couldn't believe the man also used Illusion magic, but that was on the backburner as Ken couldn't stop his arm from jabbing Hina's own.

"Shit!" He swore as Hina fainted into his arms. Acting quickly, Ken cut his palm open and fed the blood into Hina's mouth. Ken was able to convert his blood into an antidote for the countless poisons and venoms his transformations allowed. Thankfully this was a simple paralysis venom, so nothing major would have happened regardless.

Slowly, the girl regained motor function and consciousness. "Ken?"

"It's alright, the venom was just a paralysis type, let my antidote take effect before doing anything drastic." He reassured the girl with a warm smile.

"Goodness gracious, what a tender moment between two lovers." Joseph sarcastically cooed and fluttered his eyes.

"We aren't lovers!" Ken and Hina shared a blush of embarrassment.

"Huh? You're joking right?" Joseph looked at them with a flat expression. "I almost feel sorry for the dirty pirates you two bunk with if that's how you are." He shook his head in exasperation.

"Pirates? We're Rune Knights!" Ken was genuinely offended at that mess up.

"Yeah, yeah, that's what the last two groups said too." Joseph rolled his eyes.

"Last two groups…?" The Rune Knight pondered those words before Joseph readied another attack.

"Now let's continue!" The weapons spun around his fingers before disappearing suddenly. "Clacker Volley!" A torrent of the weapons shot towards the duo, Ken taking Hina into his arms and flying up with hornet wings.

"Illusion magic and some kind of swapping magic with those damn Clackers. On top of that he knows his way around a fight, no wonder he and this group were all S-Class." Ken clicked his tongue as he tried to come up with a plan.

"Ken." Hina spoke with a firmer tone, "I have an idea."

The man looked surprised for a moment, but smiled and nodded, agreeing to the plan.

"What are those two doing up there?" Joseph scowled as he looked at the duo hovering above his range. His gut told him to run away and change the battlefield, disrupting their plan, however…

His gaze shifted to a large bush in the center of a small park in the town, resolve reentering his eyes as he glared at the duo in the sky. Joseph punched his open palm and steeled himself for the next round of the battle.

Ken took the initiative by charging at the man from the sky, Hina locked in his arms.

'A suicide charge?' Joseph questioned as he once again shot out a volley of Clackers, however to his shock, the man just took the hits, guarding the woman with his wings while he divebombed.

"Heh, you're certainly a nutcase! I'm afraid to say that kind of trick won't do you any good-" It was then that Joseph noticed the volley of barbs heading right at him. He kept his cool and used an illusion to pretend he didn't notice and snuck off for an opportunity to sneak attack.

Ken crashed down, kicking up a cloud of dust as Joseph went in for a sneak attack, ready to finish off the pair.

That is until he felt a palm practically dislocate his jaw and knock him through a wall.

Hina smirked as she saw past the Illusion thanks to her eyes, another perk of her blindness. Illusions and eye magic don't even vaguely get to her, hence why the earlier stunt Joseph pulled fooled her as it wasn't an illusion.

"Good job Hina." Ken praised the girl as he dusted himself off.

"Th-thank you." She looked away with a blush on her cheeks.

The rubble atop Joseph was kicked off as the youth dusted himself off, clutching his aching jaw.

'Tch. So she can see past illusions huh? And with that guy figuring out my Clacker trick, misdirection is gonna be hard. I could go all out, but that puts them at risk.' Joseph cursed as he tried to figure out a plan.

Thankfully for him, it came in the form of a flare being shot into the sky.

"Ho? So the Boss is calling us back eh?" The youth smirked at the duo. "Well then, it's time for me to end this fight with my secret trump card!" He boasted adamantly as the Rune Knights were put on guard.

"NIGERUNDAYO!!!" He then ran off at a phenomenal speed.

Both Mages stood stupefied at that rather… odd technique.

"Did… did he just run away?" Ken blinked in disbelief.

"Well, it is a viable strategy." Hina rationalized the decision as best as she could.

"W-wait! Damnit! I didn't get to question him!" Ken swore at his blunder as Hina chuckled at the sight. "Ah well, the civilians are the top priority anyways." He sighed and walked into the center of town. "Now then, where the hell are they?"

"Ah, wait a moment Ken!" Hina stopped the man and placed her hands to hit chin. A brilliant golden light came from them momentarily. She placed her hands back down when the job was done.

The Captain felt around and noticed the missing tooth had grown back perfectly fine.

"I always forget you also have healing magic." He warmly smiled at her, "Thank you Hina."

"U-uh, it's nothing Ken." She looked away from him with a blush.

The pair then got back on track, Ken used the odd senses Insects natively posess to pinpoint any odd heat signatures, this method came up positively for him.

The pair approached the large bush in the park, ken ripped it away to reveal a steel trapdoor in the ground.

"Huh, guess its a remnant of when this place was Encan territory a hundred years back." Ken crouched and pulled a lever, opening the hatch. "Well I'll be damned." He started at the sight with a smile.

* * *

"Mwahahaha!!! You can't stop the strongest with things like that!" Cirino boasted as she launched another barrage of icicles at the two women in front of her.

Yoru easily dodged them while Ultear used her magic to melt them. They'd been like this for a moment now, a complete stalemate with no real end in sight.

"How you holding up Ultear?" Yoru dodged another spear of ice.

"Physically? Perfectly fine. Magically? I'd be lying if I didn't say this constant use was starting to get to me." Some vague sweat formed on her brow as she melter another section of the frosted floor and the assault heading her way.

'She's strong, but even she's got a limit. I'll need to think of something quick if we wanna win this.' Yoru waa starting to get frustrated by the fact this girl was able to just abuse powerful ice magic over and over without any sign of exhaustion. Even someone like Sarutobi would be nearing exhaustion at the point she was at. There had to be a trick to her magic.

'Could she be a Slayer Wizard?' She observed the normal ice color and the spell names and quickly threw that out the window. 'Her magic seems bottomless, she must be getting more from some kind of source!' Yoru bounced off a tree and axe kicked a hunk of ice to the ground, embedding it to the earth away from the duo.

This was when Yoru noticed something odd. The ice they had broken remained there on the ground. Normally ice magic that's broken dissipates into Ethernano and returns to the earth. The basic principle of Ethernano involves the mage absorbing it from the air. It's in the air because of the trees taking it from leylines. Those leylines have magic in them from magical beings dying and their bodies decomposing in the earth.

'That's it!' Yoru grinned wickedly as she landed back with Ultear.

"I have a plan." She confidentially spoke to the teen.

"I'm all ears." Ultear was just about ready to go with any kind of method right now.

What she did not expect was Yoru lifting her over her shoulder and then running away, deeper into the forest.

"The hell are you doing? The fights that way!" She pointed at an angry Cirino giving chase, freezing more and more of the forest as she flew at them.

"It's all part of the plan, just focus on getting rid of any projectiles heading our way!"

Ultear sighed and did as she was told, the long chase around the island uncomfortable for the girl in a fireman'a carry. The thought of a shirtless Matt carrying her like a princess made some blood shoot from her nose like a hose.

"You okay back there?!" Yoru shouted as she zipped across the branches.

"I'm fine! Everything is fine! Don't worry about the abs!"

"The what?"

"ADS! I'LL KILL THE ICE ADS! YOU JUST RUN!"

Yoru wanted to question what the hell an "ad" was, but decided teasing the girl over her extreme lust for Matt's body could wait until later. What? She enjoys dumb teen romance just like any single 20 year-old woman. Especially when one was oblivious and the other was painfully thirsty but refused to admit the notion. Now that is some fun entertainment.

Speaking of entertainment, Cirino was getting really tired of this.

"D-damnit! Just. Get. Back here!" She huffed and puffed more and more as the chase continued.

'Looks like my guess was right!' Yoru smirked. Cirino seemed to be able to refuel her magic at an accelerated rate, however this was rendered impossible if she magically froze all he ground and trees, thereby kneecapping her own source of fuel. Since Yoru and Ultear did the rational thing of breaking and melting the ice, this allowed Cirino to effectively have infinite magic power as long as she didn't go crazy and freeze everything… something she did quite often if you were to ask her group. Most doubted the girl even realized this massive advantage she had over other mages, but realized she wouldn't even adjust if told and decided it wasn't worth the effort.

Eventually, the girl crashed and burned onto the frozen ground. Her barely conscious body sliding across it like a figure skater until she went face-first into a frozen tree.

Yoru and Ultear landed after the later melted the ice. She then used some of this water to clean the mess her face was while Yoru went over to interrogate the girl.

"Well well, looks like this is the end of the line for you." The woman squatted down by the girl, fully confident she wouldn't be fighting anytime soon. "Now then, how about you tell us what's going on here?"

"I'll never talk…. pirate scum." Her voice was loopy and easily concussed.

"Pirates? We aren't pirates, we're Rune Knights." Yoru raised a brow at the odd mixup.

"Sure you are. That's what both of em' said before you."

"Do you mean the other two ships in the dock? Those weren't Rune Knight ships, those were trader vessels by the looks of things." Ultear added, finally joining in.

"Nuh-uh, those people were fakers! They tried to rob the place! Just like you are!"

"Were there any reports of stolen uniforms?" Ultear asked the Captain.

"Hmmm. Not from Fiore, but I can see it happening in a palace where we aren't as major of a force, like Caelum or Enca." The girl drew vague conclusions.

"Ah! There you are Cir!" A new voice joined the fray as Yuffie hopped from a shadow. "Didn't you see the flare? The boss wants us together ASAP!"

"Flare? Nah, I was busy." The girl lazily responded after picking her ear and flicking the wax away.

"Well you're a new face. Got a name?" Yoru stood ready for a fight with Ultear.

"I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie! And I'm here," she wrapped a shadow around Cirino, taking her elsewhere. "For her." She pointed at the former location of the girl. "Now then, goodbye!"

"Wait!" Yoru tried to grab her, but just missed as she vanished into a shadow. "Damn, what the hell is going on? Why were there pirates posing as Rune Knights?"

"Perhaps I could explain." The girls turned to see an elderly man approach them with a cane in hand. "I am Hester, an elder of these islands."

"Finally, a native." Ultear sighed in relief.

"Where the hell are you guys? What even happened?" Yoru questioned the man.

"Perhaps a warmer place would do better for a chat, follow me, I have a fresh pot of tea brewing back home."

Both girls looked at each other and shrugged before following him back to his village.

* * *

"BO~SS! YOU WON'T BELIEVE THE SCOOP I JUST GOT!" A young reporter barged into Date's office.

"Easy there Keighley," the man was a half-done smoke in his mouth and a cup of steaming-hot coffee on his desk, complimenting the disheveled and tired look he had. "Now what's this all about?"

"Okay." The young man took a seat across from the former Rune Knight. "So apparently some guy busted into this prison called uh…" He looked at his notepad, "Naraka."

Date spat out his coffee in shock and violently coughed, "Someone did what?!"

"That's not even the end of it! According to my source, he hijacked a Fioran battleship and used that to carry out all the prisoners with him! They even formed a dark guild!"

The older man sighed and rubbed his temples, "Keep going."

"Right! Well it seems like the Council went nuts and ordered an extermination on them! Apparently they got the 5 strongest readily available Captains and five bigwig Fioran Mages to help out."

Date stood up and walked over to a whiteboard, uncapping a pen. "Names?"

"Uhhh, let's see here.. Ah! Cosmo Porla of Phantom Lord, Ultear Malkovich who's independent, Siegrain who's also independent, Jura Neekis from Lamia Scale, Yato Long who's in charge of Southern Seven, Hina Hugo who's manages western Bosco, Ken Sasaki who takes care of Eastern Fiore, Yoru Shiho who looks over northern Minstrel."

"Hell of a strike force…" Date wrote the names down, realizing that such a response is probably neccessary for whoever the hell took down that hell pit by themselves.

"Now these last two are the real juicy ones!" He excitedly bounced in the chair.

"Just get to it." Date rolled his eyes.

"Matthew Atlas of Fairy Tail and Captain Sarutobi the head Captain of western Ishgar!"

"Hahahaha!!!" Date broke into roaring laughter, clutching his sides as the long-extinguished cigarette fell to the floor.

"B-boss?" The reporter raised a brow.

"N-no it's not you. Sorry about that. Heheheh." He wiped a tear from his eye. "It's just, I can't imagine either of those two losing any time soon. Especially ol' Saru."

"Oh yeah, you did work with him before." The young man recalled his boss's background.

"Yup. That man is as taciturn and strict as they come, but we had a nickname for him."

"Is it the one about his virginity?"

"Ha! No, that was in school." He chuckled at the memory. "Whenever we did a high-risk low-reward job, he always had this switch he flipped against a genuine opponent he wanted to beat."

"Well? What was it?"

Date sat back down and lit a new smoke, taking a ling drag and exhaling the smoke before smirking. "We called him: the Unstoppable Force."

* * *

Sarutobi vaguely smirked as he reached behind and readied his spear, twirling it before smashing the end into the ground.

"Captain?" Yato looked at him oddly.

"Captain Yato, keep watch over Jura for now. I'll engage the enemy alone."

"Y-you can't be serious?!" She seemed genuinely stupefied that he'd consider something so risky.

"He is serious Yato-dono, I know that kind of look anywhere." The young man smirked as he saw the vestige of the young teen that took on God Serena with no fear.

His body began to glow as magic energy flew away from him and waa siphoned into a spot next to himself. As the light died down, a figure stood in the once empty space, a moneky-like man in oriental clothing with a staff lazily leaned on the pole, picking his nose.

"Well well well, looks like ol' Daru decided to call on little ol' me. Been a while hasn't it?" The monkey spoke in a grouchy tone.

"What is that?" Jura questioned.

"The Captain's magic. He makes contracts with Natute Spirits that he can then call out whenever with just the cost of some Magic Power. It's basically an apex of summoning magic." Yato dryly swallowed at the rare sight of his magic.

"Son, I need you to take on a ground assault while I use the trees." Sarutobi dryly ordered.

"Huh?! Shouldn't that be the other way around dumbass? Or has all that non-sex finally fried your brain?" The monkey was stupefied over his master's choice.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." He leapt on the trunk of the tree and with his absurdly strong legs, easily spring boarded from tree-to-tree.

"Man oh man, he never changes." The Monkey King sighed before dashing forward and using his absurd instincts and agility to avoid the traps with ease.

"Tch. Looks like this one will be a bit trickier than I'd hoped." The hooded man clicked his tongue from his hiding spot. "Guess that just means I'll have to kick it up a notch." He smirked and loaded the crossbow on his arm.

Hood pointed the weapon steadily and fired, the bolt flying with precision at a level even Matt couldn't match yet. Wind, gravity, the branches, falling leaves, the moving target, all these things were accounted for in a mere instant by the man who grew up hunting for food most his life.

Sarutobi barely heard the whistle of the wind being pushed by the arrow and narrowly moved his head from gaining a new appendage.

'Seems like he can tell where I am based on how loud I'm moving. Can't help that, just means I need to speed up!' The next tree visibly cracked as Sarutobi leapt from its base, the bark going everywhere from the trunk.

"Damn! He's a quick one." Hood stood and leapt back in time to dodge the branch being cut in two from a spear.

Sarutobi ducked under a trio of bolts and rolled midair to the next tree.

'This freak has just been pulverizing trees to get around?!' Hood began hopping from branch-to-branch as Sarutobi gave chase.

The Captain spun his spear to catch another series of crossbow bolts fired by the Pirate. For every branch Hood used as a stepping stone, Sarutobi used an entire tree.

Eventually he would catch up to the Pirate, his spear raised high to deliver a crushing attack as they flee between two trees, however when the man before his eyes smirked, Sarutobi realized he'd fallen for a trap.

A pair of spike-covered swings were set loose upon the man, Hood slipping between them perfectly with his much smaller frame. Sarutobi took the traps head-on without any buffer.

Hood landed on a nearby tree with a smirk, "Well it looks like that's one down-" When he turned, the last thing he expected to see was Sarutobi physically ripping the sections of the traps that had barely stabbed him off. His steel-like muscles not even considering the attempt at damage as a minor wound.

"What the hell are you?!" Hood swore and fired a series of bolts at the man, most of which were stopped by a monkey man getting in the way. The one that did get past managed to graze the Captain's arm.

Sarutobi broke free and landed on the ground after removing the wooden spikes from his arms and legs.

"You doing alright?" The monkey kept his gaze locked on Hood.

"I'm fine." Sarutobi squeezed the arrow wound, causing a squirt of blood to shoot from it. He then took a piece of cloth and tied off his arm.

'Fine he says. This poison is strong enough to paralyze a goddamn _wyvern_ with half a milligram.' Hood's eye twitched at the absurdity of his opponent. 'We're getting close to the entrance too, shit.' The man swore. 'Just who the hell is this guy? No pirate is anywhere near this strong!' Hood began going through a list of names in his head, trying to identify the man before him.

"Careful now Sarutobi, he knows the lay of the land better than we do, he could have even worse traps set up." Son advised the man who simply nodded.

'Sarutobi? …FUCK! SHIT! SON OF A BITCH!' The storm of swears tore apart the man's mind as he realized the man before was in fact not only not a pirate, but also one of the strongest the council could chuck at a problem!

'This is way above my pay grade!' Hood lifted his arm and fired off a flare, a universal signal to his men to fall back and regroup. The man then tried to make his escape.

"Not on my watch!" Son leapt up to strike the man down with his staff.

"May King!"

Suddenly the man disappeared from their sight.

"His scent is gone too." Son growled at that fact.

Sarutobi marched ahead to look for tracks, but didn't see any.

"How about sounds?" He asked his spirit.

"No good, besides the location, he's damn light on his feet. He's trained to evade the senses of animals." Son finally admitted Hood got away with a sigh.

The Captain walked over an area he could tell was previously a trap and triggered it, only for nothing to happen.

"Seems like he shut off his magic, whatever it was." He stood and placed his spear back behind him. "Son, go inform Jura and Yato about what happened. I'm pressing ahead to the main village."

"Yeah yeah, you go do whatever." The Monkey lazily walked off.

Sarutobi then pressed onwards, determined to figure out what was happening here.

* * *

"Christ!" Hood sat on the floor of the underground port. "Those guys were not pirates! They were very much so official!" He cursed at their bad luck. First they get the council on their asses after they rob some pirates and leave the captured offical on a boat about a mile from shore, then they get freed by that demon before leaving as fast as they could and _now_ they gotta deal with one of the biggest fish in the pond hunting them down!

"They weren't anything spectacular though." Joseph leaned against a box lazily.

"Au contraire dear friend! I found a magnificent rival today! Truly our next clash shall be one for the ages!" Gilgamesh spoke proudly as Enkidu was shaking the new coat of paint applied to his feathers after that bath.

Cirino was still pretty concussed so she lazily rested on a cot atop the boat.

"So what now Boss?" Yuffie asked the man currently making a mess of his own hair in stress.

"It's best we get out. Sarutobi alone is a monster, but I'd hate to meet whoever the hell managed to give Gil a challenge." He sighed.

"Oh really? And here I was hoping we'd have a nice campfire kumbaya and share some stories."

The pirates looked up to see Matt, leaning against the upper railing of the entrance to the room.

"AH! WE MEET AGAIN MY RIVAL!" Gilgamesh excitedly stood, causing Enkidu to book it to the ship in order to dodge another bath.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME MATTHEW ATLAS WAS YOUR OPPONENT?!" Hood cried out at the kabuki oni.

"The King is here?!" Cirino immediately shot up and flew up to the boy with stars in her eyes. "It's such an honor to meet you Mr. King! Can I get your autograph?" She held out a commemoration poster of his victory over Serena.

"CIRINO!" Hood chided the girl.

"Yeah sure." He shrugged and signed the poster with a requipped silver sharpie. His autograph was simple and easy, a large, sharp M with a line near the top. He used it for everything now. From signing who had watch duty on that boat to his checks. What it made hard to forge was the sheer consistency of every use. Perfect matches for every last signing, a fact Matt was proud of.

"He's seriously signing it?!" The Captain cried out in shock.

"But or course my rival would be so courteous!"

"""Shut up Greg.""" Everyone in the room spoke in unison.

"Very well." He nodded, not even recognizing the massive mispronunciation of his name.

"Thank you!" She hugged the poster and flew back down to the boat without a care, a massive smile on her face.

"Tch. So, what are you gonna do now King of Games?" Hood and the rest of the group steeled themselves for a rough fight.

"Nothin'." He bluntly answered and shrugged.

The room face planted at his response.

"THE HELL DO YOU MEAN "Nothin'"?!" Hood yelled at the teen.

"I spoke with some of the locals hidden in these tunnels." That caused them to drop the fighting stances.

"Tch. And they'd immediately recognize you so no mistrust was ever present." Hood bitterly smirked.

"All I got out of them was how a band of bumbling idiotic pirate hunters came to the island and took care of the fake Rune Knights extorting them for whatever the hell they wanted. After that they agreed to hide you for helping them out around town."

"WE ARE NOTHING LIKE THAT!" Joseph cried out as Hood's hand met his own face.

"Okay okay, you're not bumbling." Matt clarified to the man.

"Damn straight… WAIT A MINUTE!"

A cheshire smirk rose on the teens face as the man fell for the bait, before it sank into a straight look.

"In all seriousness, I'd reccomend you people skedaddle before the others arrive. I'm a bit more reasonable than my associates so I won't stop you."

Hood looked at the teen before nodding.

By the time the others arrived, the pirates had left.

* * *

"Man, what a drag." Matt sighed as he sat on the stairs of the bridge, bandages covering parts of his body. They'd been at the island for a day now, Sarutobi giving an earful to the council that neglected not only this island, but also allowed fake rune knights to roam around without prioritizing their arrest.

He scowled as he very quickly realized things were not right on countless fronts. Why the hell did the council prioritize capturing a group of pirates that actively hunted other pirates over literal governmental imposters?! Not to mention why they were given the death sentence of Naraka over a regular prison.

Something wasn't fitting right to Matt, and despite everything, even he remembered how corrupt governments in his old world could be. The parallels he easily drew not making this job sit any better. But then again, that group could be an exception. For all he knew, everyone else aboard that ship was genuine scum.

Out of everything though, he did manage to squeeze something out of Hood in private.

"Why the hell did you guys leave that guild? Wouldn't it have been safer with Lucius?" He questioned the orange-haired man.

"Safe?" He scoffed, "Let me tell you something, that, that _thing_ in human flesh is not safe. He is the farthest thing from safe. I got my group out of there because I could tell he was bad news." Hood shivered, "And the worst part, that bastard waved goodbye to us as we left on that ship we commended. He smiled wide and wished us safe travels like our exclusion didn't even matter to his plans!"

Matt sighed at that memory. Whoever the hell Lucius is, Matt did not like the feeling he got when even thinking about him.

"There you are." The teen turned to see Sarutobi standing behind him.

"What's up?"

"We're heading to Enca, Lucius has made his move." Matt nodded and followed the man to their ship.

* * *

"Bo~ss, are you sure it was fine just leaving them there?" Cirino complained to the man at the helm.

"I told you already Cir, they weren't gonna ditch and join us. Especially not Matthew!"

"BUT I WANNA SEE THE KING MORE!" She pouted and folded her arms.

"DID SOMEONE BRING UP MY RIVAL?!" Gilgamesh barged out from below deck, multiple frying pans in hand.

"No Gil, go back to cooking lunch." Hood sighed.

"Make sure you make me- BLRG!!!" Yuffie blew chunks over the railing while Joseph patted her back with a sigh.

'Besides, I already warned him, the choice is his to make...'

"One more thing before I leave." Hood got Matt's attention while he was on the bridge to get to the deck.

"What is it?" The teen raised a brow.

"If you and your guys struggled even slightly against us, turn back. Go traitor and leave. Your odds against the entire world are better than against that… that thing."

"Sorry, can't ditch the people I got back in Fiore like that." He walked off with a lazy wave.

Hood sighed as the tern walked back upstairs, "… You'll just end up dying though. You abandon them either way."

**Well ain't that foreboding?**

**Welcome back everyone! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! A lot happened so let's get right into it!**

**Matt vs. Gilgamesh was an interesting idea of a fight. I didn't go all out with it since it didn't quite feel right for either of them to give it 100% at this point. We will see Matt go all out later on for sure, but for his first fight this arc? Nah, save it for the good shit. Also it was just fun getting to write for Gilgamesh, easily one of my favorite characters in FF. As for whether of not it was the dimension hopping man we all know and love? I dunno, you decide.**

**Siegrain (and Cosmo too I guess), vs. Yuffie was an interesting fight. Seigrain lost. Plain and simple. He could've won if he didn't kneecap himself by trying to keep his other magics hidden, but his pride is definitely an issue. What the even bigger issue is, is that he is _very _green compared to everyone else. The least amount of combat experience relative to years goes to Matt and Ultear at about 5 to 8 years. Siegrain doesn't even have 6 months. So that'll definitely effect his fighting for this arc. Also Yuffie is quite literally Cosmo's worst possible matchup, so he really didn't get to show off his other form here.**

**Ken and Hina vs. Joseph was also an interesting one to write. From Ken's weird style of Take Over and Hina's surprising combat utility, it was fun testing that against a trickster like Joseph. As for why Ken only does partial transformations instead of full ones... I just really don't wanna have to go into detail about giant instect-like abominations multiple times a chapter. Also it's just more practical and considering most insects attack with stingers, fangs or mandibles, it would ruin the surprise element of his attacks.**

**I've had to look up some facts about insects for Ken's magic to add some variety, and I've learned things I could've gone the rest of my life without knowing. Did you know there's a species of ant with a bite so strong, they're used as makeshift staples? This bite is strong enough, they could theoretically skeletonize a human corpse with enough time... damn nature, you scary.**

**Next up was Yoru and Ultear vs Cirino, a relatively harmless fight, (if you discount all the fluid Ultear lost). I wanted to use this fight to also give some establishment to some world building like how Ethernano works and why 400 years ago there was less of it than there is now. This chapter was probably the second-to-last one with more world building in it for this arc with the exception of the next chapter.**

**What's that dear reader? Why is Ultear a hopeless lovestruck teenager that can't handle anything remotely sexual? A. She's literally never once experienced, or expressed this kind of thing in the manga, so yeah, she's gonna suck at it regardless. B. She's a teenager, cut her some slack. And C. BECAUSE IT'S FUN.**

**Sarutobi vs Hood was also another chance for me to introduce something for later purposes: Nature Spirits. I'll delve into them later, but if you know your mythology, you can probably guess some things about them, I mean it's literally staring you in the face. Aside from that, I also used it to show off how fucking scary Sarutobi is. An S-Class like Hood was running for dear life from the guy pulverizing trees with a simple _jump_. I don't think I need to explain how scary that idea is.**

**Next week will be a slower chapter more focused on character building and such, the last calm before we get knee-deep in it.**

**So until next time, I bid you all, adieu.**


	21. The Coming Ruin

**Hello there ladies and gents, it's that time for me once more!**

**Darkmaster10000000: **Okay that's a fair number of reviews. So first and foremost, the whole harem and pairing thing isn't a real priority right now. Right now I'm just setting up Matt's character for when canon rolls around. I'm keeping myself loose and flexible with the story so I could roll either way down the line. But for now, romance, as I stated ages ago in another review response, won't go past the crush phase... well outside of Macao and Enno because no shit.

As for the Time Wizard stuff, I do actually plan to tackle this idea later on, so just have a bit of patience for when I do eventually get there.

**With that done, let's get this show on the road!**

Lucius sat inside a quaint home, a wonderfully crafted cherry wood table and chair are what he rested on. In his hands a book, to be precise it was an opera script, the music to it playing in the home from a Lacrima.

The door to the abode opened to reveal a swordsman, draped in foreign garb and with his black hair in a low ponytail. A blade rested on his hip, the cool black sheath and handle contrasting the golden cap and guard.

"Ah, Batou! Good to see you, come, come! Have a seat, enjoy the music!" He smiled and gestured for the man to take a seat on the opposite end of the table.

Used to the odd behavior of the man, Batou complied and sat in the chair, resting his blade against the table.

"So, how's the exercise going?" He placed the book down and asked Batou, a slight smile on his lips.

"We've lost most of our forces to the Encan military, about 60% if my estimation is right." The swordsman bluntly answered.

"Hmmm." Lucius placed a hand to his chin in thought before nodding. "It's within acceptable margins."

Batou didn't seem taken aback by their leaders rather cold attitude towards the people he so claimed as brothers and sisters dying. Then again, he couldn't even get a vague read on the man at all. From him callously murdering one of the members of the group back on that boat, to sending them all into what should be a deathtrap, it's almost like…

"Like I don't care about any of you?" Lucius smiled at the surprised swordsman.

"How did you-"

"Know what you were thinking?" Batou could only nod as Lucius let out a chuckle. "My friend, I've learned many things in these past 6 years of life." He moved his finger and the music ceased playing. "Magic." A lift of the book. "Culture." The man moved his hand slightly and a manju the previous resident had already cooked flying into his hand. He took a bite of the sweet and smiled at the wonderful taste. "Delicacy."

Lucius stood and walked around the home.

"For most of my life I was denied these truly magnificent things. I adore the genius musical compositions of the west, the outstanding history and culture of the east. I respect the forerunners that worked tirelessly to make our modern advancements what they are." He turned to face Batou. "And I equally wish to see it all crumble to dust."

Batou sat there, even more confused as to what Lucius' goal, or even his motives were.

"For too long we have allowed the past to dictate our actions. For too long we have allowed phantoms of ages past to inspire cruelty and hatred." He paced around the table, Batou couldn't help but think of his leader like a Vulture, staking a soon-to-be corpse for a meal. "So you ponder, why am I doing this? Aren't my actions here entirely contradictory to my words?"

The swordsman didn't even move a muscle, not daring to temp any dark hand of fate. "You are correct. Even if we are Magi, we are all still human, doomed to repeat the past in an endless cycle. No natter how hard I try, no matter how much I try and change, I'll always be the byproduct of my environment. And my environment, was a rather cruel one."

Lucius rested his hands of Batou's shoulders, sweat cascading down his head as a pressure that would cause any man to start frothing from the mouth leaked from the greenette. "So I'll do something special. I'll make sure this world receives something it has been so sorely lacking for many years."

The leader lightly clenching his hands on Batou's upper arms as a sign of playfulness. "Now, now, no need to be so tense!" He chuckled, "Relax my friend! Enjoy the show! Have some of this wonderful Manju!"

As the duo stood in the home, the door barged open. A man in tattered priest vestments and covered in odd black markings smirked.

"Hey boss, we caught the general of the island."

Lucius clapped his hands together, "Wonderful work! Please! Bring him here! I wish to chat with our gracious host!"

"You got it!" He smirked and walked off, leaving the faint odor of burnt flesh.

The greenette waves his hand in front of his face, "Goodness, I'll have to reccomend a bath for everyone after this." He chuckled playfully before turning his attention back to Batou. "Now, is there anything else you wanted to discuss with me?"

The man dryly swallowed, "N-no, I must be going anyways."

"Very good then," Lucius smiled. "Safe travels my friend." He wished the swordsman well as he left the home.

"Now then, where was I?" He opened the book once more and played the music again, the soft and mournful dirge of Dolor playing. An oprea about the life of a dying man, on the eve of his public execution.

* * *

"Goddamn it!" Cosmo pounded the table in frustration. Losing fifteen games of poker in a row tends to do that.

"Just give it up, if none of us could be him, you sure as hell can't." Siegrain sighed in annoyance.

"Now now, that's quitter talk, how about all of you take me on at once?" Matt coyly smirked as he counted his newly acquired riches.

"""WE DID DO THAT!""" Came the cries of the bankrupted crewmen around Matt.

"Oh yeah you guys did…" He vaguely recalled

"Man, I thought Macao sucked at poker, but this is just sad." His smug aura mocked then relentlessly.

"I knew I should've done a bet pool." Ultear clicked her tongue at the missed chance to make some easy cash.

"Now then, we got another two days before we reach Enca. So how about another round?" He shuffled the cards effortlessly.

"""ABSOLUTELY NOT!""" Came the cries of the empty-walleted people.

"Tch. Party poopers."

* * *

After that debacle, the crew split off to do participate in whatever time-wasters they felt like.

Yato sat in the mess hall, looking at a photo she kept in her uniform.

"Hmmmm." She squinted at the photo one moment before closing her eyes in concentration the next.

"What's with that face? You constipated or sumthin'?" Yoru grinned as she sat across from the woman.

"No, I'm not like Ken after a single drop of milk gets in his system." She shot back at the expense of the bug wizard.

"Ha! I remember Hina's face when she heard he was lactose intolerant. Poor girl had just made about a dozen milk chocolates for him." She chuckled at the memory.

"The lengths that man will go to for sugar is untold." Yato shook her head, a wide grin raised on her face.

Yoru caught a glimpse of the photo, "Oh, is that your sister?"

"Yup! My adorable baby sister who also happens to be a hopeless romantic." Yato sighed. "You should've seen her after she tried to ask this boy out on a date."

"How'd it go?"

"Well she said that she tried talking to him normally at first, then when he asked her about her hobbies, she requipped out about a dozen deadly weapons." The woman rubbed her temples .

"HAHAHA!!" Yoru smacked the table and clutched her gut.

"Yeah yeah," Yato rolled her eyes at the expected reaction. "You wouldn't be laughing as hard if you saw her use those things. Girl is a regular fightin' machine." She proudly grinned.

"Being your sister? I'd take those odds sooner than seeing Matt loose a game of poker." Her poor empty wallet cried out in hunger. Damn kid knows how to make you keep raising.

"That's another reason why I'm thinking about her."

"What? You wanna set those two up on a date?" The girl pondered before gaining a chesire grin. "Oh my Yato, I didn't expect you to desire the forbidden fruit of a pure boy."

"It's not like that!" She retaliated vehemently. Though if he were of age…. The girl shook her head of that thought. "What I'm saying is that he reminds me of her is all."

"Really?" The dark-skinned beauty raised a brow. "How so?"

"Well besides the bordering-on-insane level of courage he's got, it's his eyes."

"Uhhh, unless my own eyesight is going bad, I'm pretty sure your sister has brown eyes."

"Not the color. It's like how they say eyes are the window to the soul or whatever. I look into his eyes and I see a lot of the same things I do in my sister. But one thing stands out a lot more."

"And that is?" She urged the blonde on.

"Loneliness."

* * *

Cosmo sat at a desk in his own room, several crumpled up and discarded bundles of paper littered the area. He growled in frustration as he ruffled his hair.

"Damn this is hard! Why do movies always make this look easy?!"

He took a deep breath and huffed it out before slouching in his chair, gazing at the lantern on the desk. After a moment, the young man picked up the pen and used a fresh piece of paper.

"Dear Father

Everything is going well. We encountered the infamous Hood Pirates a few days ago and soundly defeated them! Naturally my help was invaluable, your unparalleled guidance and leadership being a great asset for me to channel even a small iota of in these battles.

My party consists of a varied bunch of personalities I'm sure you'd find amusement from to some degree. Our leader is the famous Sarutobi from the Rune Knights. A brave man who always keeps calm and collected, but I think you still outpace even his abilities naturally. We have four other Rune Knight Captains too. Captain Ken is a nice man, though his obsession with sugar still baffles me even with learning of his insect-based magic. Captain Hina is a quiet and meek girl, but like you always say, those kinds of people hide the deadliest of ability when applied. Captain Yato is quite loud and rather boyish for being such a beautiful woman, perhaps that's just the kind of environment in Seven? You'd certainly be more aware of such things than myself. Lastly, Captain Yoru is a lively woman who seems to enjoy messing with people a bit too much if you ask me.

Besides myself, we also have four non-government Mages too. Jura Neekis is just as you described, a strong-willed man who's personality perfectly matches his magic. Siegrain is rather odd, he's the youngest of us at 13, something I find rather absurd given my own age. However he's far more mature then you'd expect. It's almost as if he's playing with us or something, I'm not quite sure though. You'd be able to see through him easily though. Ultear is a rather mysterious girl. I can't make heads or tails of what she's even here for. Though she's had some rather violent outbursts befitting her age lately, it's quite amusing to see her become a mess or teenage development whenever our last member is in the mix. Matthew Atlas rounds out our group. I was surprised they called him of all people in, but I was even more surprised to find he's rather annoyed by the title thrown on him. Granted, it fits him to a T at points, but to find a mere 14 year-old acting so… mature, was just odd.

Regardless, even with this merry group, I've made sure to keep myself respected amongst them just as you'd want. I've no doubt our upcoming battle in Enca will give me amazing opportunities to demonstrate the skill you so tirelessly helped me perfect. I'll be sure to tell you all of the fantastic details when I see you again before too long.

With Love,

Your Son."

Cosmo placed the pen down and looked over the letter with a smile. Said smile began to fall as he reread it. Deeper and deeper it sunk until only a dissipated frown remained.

"Damn!" He crumpled the letter and threw it.

"It's not good enough!"

Cosmo hit the desk before a stray tear fell from his eye to the wood.

"It's _never_ good enough."

* * *

Ken sat in the library of the ship, reading over some of the files for the S-Class mages they'd be going against in Enca. His gaze lingered on a specific file.

"Ken? Is everything okay?" Hina looked at him with concern.

"Huh?" He shook his head and looked up, "Hina? When did you get here?"

"Ken, I've been here the past ten minutes." Her concern only grew as he continued to speak.

"Oh. I-is that so? My apologies, I just got… distracted." He apologized and shook his head.

"It's about him, isn't it?" She gazed at the file in Ken's hand.

The man sighed in defeat, "Guess I made it kinda obvious huh?"

Ken was looking at the file for Hannibal. A mage who was his first big case as a captain some number of years ago. Imagine scum, now imagine the scum beneath that scum. Go about a thousand layers deep, and that's where Hannibal would rank on the list of humanities worst.

A sociopathic mage, arrested for the murder and cannibalization of hundreds of men, women and children. He marked his body for each person he'd devoured with his blend of magic. Not much clear skin remained on his body anymore, a mess of tally marks devouring any natural pigmentation.

That case nearly broke Ken physically and mentally. Though having to look at photographs of half-eaten people for months would do that to any sane individual.

Ken's hand trembled as the unpleasant memories flooded back into his mind. Sweat began to flow down his brow as the screams of his comrades being devoured came back. His pupils dilated smaller and bigger without end as his heart tried to pound its way from the confines of Ken's chest.

Suddenly, it all stopped.

Ken's head was nestled against Hina, the woman giving a sideways hug to the man.

"It's alright, you're not alone anymore. All of us, we're all in this together now." She softly spoke to the man. "So don't worry Ken, we'll protect you like you protect us." A small smile gracing her features.

Ken smiled, "Yes. You're right." He placed the file down and gently grasped her forearm, "Thank you Hina."

"Any time. Ken."

* * *

Siegrain sat in the crows nest of the ship, staring up at the stars in the night sky. After years of being a slave in that hell hole, he never stopped marveling at the magnificence of the stars. All those asteroids, the planets, countless stars, all dancing in the greatest waltz being conducted by gravity.

He'd always admired the sky. Under its light, no one was treated with inequality. Everyone got the same sky as long as mother nature allowed the ants of a species on her world to be blessed by it.

A vague smile rose on his lips.

"It's no different even compared to back then."

The warm memories of his family filled his fractured heart. His loving mother and father, laying on the ground with him on the hill that was by their home. Every night, they lay there, staring at the unparalleled beauty before their eyes.

He missed those days. More than anything else in the world.

"Just a little longer."

Yes. Just a little bit longer. The R-System would be used to resurrect Zeref. From there, either Zeref would bring back his family, or he'd simply use the system again.

Why would he resurrect Zeref first?

A spike of pain stabbed through his head as that simple question put everything he was doing in the hot seat. Why should he waste something as invaluable as a resurrection on someone that caused all this pain? It didn't make sense! He should bring back everyone's family! Uncle Rob! Yes! That's exactly what he'll-

The fog of agony cleared and Siegrain shook his head.

No, such a foolish idea that was.

All that mattered was bringing back Zeref. That's all that matters and all that ever will matter. Zeref is the key. Zeref is the link that will solve everything.

"Yes…" His hollow eyes filled with a malicious light once more.

Down below Ultear sighed.

"I know brainwashing is a tricky matter, and I should be doing it all manually, but planting suggestions is so much easier."

The Grimoire Heart member pinched the bridge of her nose. The R System was a complete pain in the ass to complete, even by conventional standards. Sure, Master Hades will use it as a backup measure, but he's so absolutely confident in the key method that he's not even telling Ultear how to go about with this whole debacle.

"Seriously Master, you could at least give me a vague idea." The girl groaned in annoyance as she walked off, leaving Jellal to his own devices.

* * *

"And you're positive this is where they've taken refuge?" He spoke to the lacrima in his private quarters.

"Correct, the Encan government confirmed it just a few hours ago." A voice responded.

The large man sighed, "How do we proceed then?"

"For now? Standard procedure for this kind of situation. Naturally it's subject to change if anything major occurs." The voice nonchalantly replied.

"You're telling us to secure something of that size and fortitude, with just a group of ten people." A hint of annoyance began to rise up in his tone.

"Look Captain, I understand your frustration with this, I truly do. However this situation can't just be resolved with a simple order of Etherion."

"When did I ever mention that?" He raised a brow of suspicion.

"Nevermind that. For now you're ordered to follow protocol and that's that."

"Very well, Sarutobi out." He cut the connection.

The large man sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Just when I thought things couldn't get anymore complicated after the Isles."

* * *

"So, what's up?" Matt raised a brow as he sat with Jura in the latter's room. Jura had called Matt over to discuss something.

"I wanted to pick your brain."

"About?"

"What happened with Hood."

Matt blinked a couple of times before shrugging and taking a seat on the bed.

"What about Hood?"

"You talked to him, didn't you?" The bluntness of Jura surprised Matt for a moment.

"Yup." He didn't even bother hiding it.

"I see, and you let him go too didn't you?"

"Correct." He nodded.

"You're rather casual about letting an S-Class band of criminals go." Jura raised a brow.

"So? Everything about this job has screamed rotten to me from the get-go." Matt sighed and laid back on the mattress.

"How so?"

"Let's see, from why Hood's crew got busted, the stolen Rune Knight uniforms the council did nothing about, the odd fact that our big bad is a former slave. Everything has just been backwards." Matt spat out. "Those guys have got a giant laser in space that points right down wherever they want, and suddenly they just can't find the ship that guy is on? Suddenly they feel the need to call in ten well-regarded mages to handle their dirty work? Excuse me if I think something is wrong."

"You have little trust in people, don't you?"

"Trust is a valuable thing Jura, misplacing it is a bad idea that leaves your back wide open." He bluntly retorted.

"…" Jura opted to remain silent at that.

Truthfully, he too could care less about Hood's group being out and about. The stories the citizens told him serving as ample evidence that they weren't malicious individuals.

What Jura was concerned with, was the mental state of Matt. The man had always suspected something was… off about him. Naturally he didn't pry as it would be rather rude, but as he's spent more and more time with the teen, the very subtle cracks are present. They aren't deep mind you, but the skin-deep hairline fractures are observable with a keen eye.

For now, all the man could do was hope Matt could at least make it through this mission intact.

"So, what'syour guild like?" Matt's question broke Jura from his thought.

"Lamia Scale is a wonderful place, orderly, quiet, quite friendly too. The old woman is a rather… eccentric master, but she know's what she's doing."

"Heh, sounds like the polar opposite of Fairy Tail." The teen chuckled at that mental compassion.

"Wonder how those guys have been since I've been gone a week?"

* * *

"Hey! Watch the BLFRGGHF-" Macao's face became well acquainted with the table he sat at once Natsu's flung body broke it.

"I'll get you back for that Boxer Sniffer!" Natsu hopped up and charged back into the fray.

"I-is it normally like this?" A young blonde man's eye twitched at the sight.

"Damnit Geronimo! Don't join in!" A young girl with pink hair in a ponytail chided a much larger man with short black hair.

"What?! Free fightin' is the best!" He smashed a chair over someone's head.

"Idiots, all of them are idiots." A reclusive man with short brown hair shook his head.

"Should I put a stop to this?" The final member of the group of fresh faces to Fairy Tail, a woman with long blonde hair spoke up.

"No Bryn, I don't think that'll be neccessary." Just as the blonde man finished speaking-

"CUT IT OUT YOU DAMN BRATS!" A massive foot ended the fight abruptly.

"J-jeez, talk about tough love." The pinkette gaped at the sight.

"Oh don't worry about that, Master handles it pretty well." Erza spoke up beside them.

"I see." Brynhildr gave a puzzled expression at the odd manner in which Fairy Tail operates.

"By the way Erza." The blonde man spoke.

"Hm? What is it Judeau?"

"I heard the famous King is a member of this guild, but I don't see him around. Is he out?" His words caused the girl to flinch slightly.

"Yes. Matthew is currently out on an extended job right now. We don't know when he'll return."

"I see." He nodded.

"Now if you'll excuse me." The redhead walked over to the pile of bodies and pulled out a certain Dragon Slayer. "It's time foe your next writing lesson."

"No! Anything but that!" He fruitlessly cried out as he was dragged off by the redhead.

"What a weird guild." Judeau sighed out.

* * *

Back in a nice, quaint house within Enca, Lucius quietly sat, awaiting the arrival of a certain individual.

The door burst open as a man dressed in a rather fancy blue and grey uniform was thrown into the room, his normally slicked back black hair a complete mess.

"Ah! General Izou! Wonderful to meet you." The greenette stood with a smile, "Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss."

"…" The general remained silent as he stood and sat in the chair across from Lucius.

"Now then, first and foremost I must praise the skill of your soliders! Non-mages managing to take out over 1000 mages is no small feat." He complimented the departed. "Truly, even I myself didn't expect that level of resistance." The man genuinely smiled lightheartedly.

"Do you have anything important to say to me?" Izou's tone was cold and unfeeling. He knew death quickly approached, but he refused to show fear in the face of it.

"Important to you in particular? Not really." The man shrugged. "What I do have to say, is that I quite like the culture here." Lucius stood. "Everyone has a simple, yet important role. There isn't a single person of power outside the Emperor that wasn't at one point a commoner. I admire that in a country you know?"

The greenette slowly walked around the home, admiring the art. His feet causing the wood to creak, which in turn caused vibrations to travel down into the ground, where some dirt fell atop the heads of the hiding citizens of the area.

Like in the Cross Isles, a hidden tunnel system served as a last-line of defense to safeguard the innocents in the event of an invasion.

The hundreds of civilians cowered in the dimly lit tunnels, their hands over their mouths to make sure not even the noise of breathing was too loud.

"I was, a bit lower on the totem pole of society than most of them y'know?" He sat back down at the table. "I went through many struggles to survive. Many hardships just to be fed. Untold levels of pain, for a simple glass of water. I've seen a lot of good men and women drop dead before my very eyes. Starvation, dehydration, disease, murder, all manners in which people who struggled beside me died."

Even as he spoke about the horrors of slavery to the man in front of him, his smile never fell.

"This in part, did many things for me. It made me strong. It made me observant. It also made me able to think, much like the common man would, and like the rich man would."

The general kept his composure, but, 'Does he know?!' That singular thought raced through his head, over and over.

"Truly though, I can't bring myself to senselessly hate anyone unlike those who I brought with me. My compatriots and I are cut from… let's say different cloths of life. Some of them, were truly good people that just received bad hands. Other however… rather justify the fear given to mages."

"What are you saying? Did you bring those people here with you to kill them?"

His smile widened with a short chuckle. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. Maybe all I planned to do was kill those who made life so hard for innocent mages. Or maybe I just simply wish to see the world that wronged me so burn. It's quite an exhilarating mystery isn't it?"

"What are you?" Genuine feelings of dread began to swell within the man, sweat flowed off his brow.

"Hmmm. I wonder? Perhaps a phantom of the past? Maybe I'm nothing more than the bogey man. Though I do find the idea of hiding in closets and under beds to be rather uncomfortable." He chuckled to himself.

Lucius smiled at the man, however, slowly and surely, his lips curled down. His gaze narrowed. His cheeks lowered and flattened.

The general began shaking, as if what was once a man, slowly morphed into the devil himself. A weight comparable to a thousand stones crushed his chest as breathing became a nearly impossible task. Tears, welled in the corners of his eyes as the brave and respected general melted into nothing more than a regular man.

"They're hiding beneath us aren't they?"

"Y-yes."

"They have no escape route, do they?"

"No."

"If someone finds them, they're dead, aren't they?"

"Yes."

Lucius stopped speaking after that, even as the broken man across from him shot up and ran over to the kitchen, grabbing a knife.

The greenette didn't even see this as a remote threat, and he didn't flinch, when the man drove the knife forward, into his own stomach. Izou jerked the blade to the side, his entrails falling to the floor before he did. A massive pool of blood seeped through the floor and into the dirt.

"It's a shame, I would've helped them too."

A bright light blinded the civilians, smiles creeping up on their faces as they thought help had arrived.

"Not even I can keep a leash on some of these monsters."

"My my," The form of a man, coated in tally marks so numerous that his body looked like a massive scar, was bathed in the light. "Looks like it's supper time." His scarred tongue liked his lips.

Not even a bone remained of the once alive men, women and children.

* * *

"All hands at deck!" Sarutobi shouted below deck. The people below, Matt included, made their way up top as just ahead was their goal.

"Oi oi, you said they took over an island." Matt's eye twitched as he looked at the landmass ahead of them.

"I did." Sarutobi bluntly replied from beside him.

"Maybe you could've left in the fact that said island was a MILITARY FORTRESS CITY!!" He yelled at the older man.

Massive fifty foot walls surrounded the island. A colossal tower, most likely the headquarters, stood proudly above it by a good 300 feet. The island itself was nothing to scoff at size-wise either. It must've been ten times the size of Crocus, not counting what was outside the walls too.

"You expect us to not only reclaim that fortress, but also take out every last Dark Mage in it?" Jura sweated, as even he seemed doubtful of their odds now.

"Correct." Sarutobi approached the wheel of the ship.

"What about the people living on it beforehand?" Ultear cast her gaze at their obstacle.

"We don't know, last communication with them was three days ago." Ken sighed, frustrated by the situation himself.

"So that means we can't just bombard the island." Siegrain concluded.

"Yeah, if we could've, the council likely would've just used Etherion and be done with it." Yato sighed.

"So on top of reclaiming the island and eliminating the 2000 Dark Mages, we also gotta secure the safety of hostages… swell." Matt clicked his tongue.

"Fortunately for us, we were given blueprints to the place, so there are ways we can sneak in." Yoru smirked as she pulled out a map from her coat and laid it on the floor.

"Listen up, everyone will break off into teams of two and enter in a separate way." Sarutobi stated from above them as he kept the ship steady.

"Group A, Yoru and Jura, will enter through a hidden path on the south side of the island, where we're facing right now." The pair nodded at the Captain's words. "Group B, Ultear and Ken, will enter through the front gate on the western side of the island, Ken's magic will cover your entrance so don't worry." Ultear raised a curious brow as to how that would work, but shrugged and nodded along with Ken. "Group C, Cosmo and Hina, will take the underwater entrance to the east of the island." Cosmo smirked as his abilities would come into play. "Group D, Siegrain and Yato, will enter through a hidden door on the northern wall." Yato smacked her fist into her palm with a grin. "Finally Group E, Matthew and I, shall enter through the air, above the wall." Matt nodded as the older man walked over and dropped anchor.

"So what's the plan once we're in?" Jura asked as he examined the city map.

"Group A will have the objective of securing the armory by the southern wall. Cut off their weapon supply and destroy them." Yoru grinned in anticipation. "Group B shall handle finding the captive civilians and soldiers. Your job is to guide them out via Group D's door on the northern wall or Group A's Southern Wall entrance, whichever is closer." Ultear closely examined the map. "Group C will secure transportation for said civilians and cripple their Naval vessels. The ships are by the Eastern Wall in a port. A large switch in the control area will open the doors. Be warned though, that will signal our presence, so only do so if safe." Hina nodded. "Group D and E will be the primary assault force. Both of us will wait until nightfall so the other groups have time to secure their objectives. Once done, send up a flare."

"How will the groups inside know of each others progress?" Cosmo looked at the Captain.

"We have small Communication Lacrima that are placed in the ear. They allow us to speak to each other over a short distance." Cosmo nodded at his words. "Once the flare has been sent, Group D will enter and distract the primary force. Group E shall head straight to the heart in the tower to deal with Lucius." The three other people of D and E nodded.

"Remember, these are people who have committed crimes so despicable that a life sentence was the minimum punishment. No punishment shall be given to anyone here if you should happen to kill. Because I assure you, they will not hesitate to kill us." Everyone grimly nodded at his words.

Sarutobi looked around at the nine other group members. "Then if everyone is ready, the operation shall begin!"

"""YES!""" Everyone affirmed as they set out to perform their tasks.

"Be honest with me Captain." Matt whispered to the older man as they were alone. "What are out odds of success here?"

"…" His expression was unreadable and his eyes remained closed in thought.

"Our success rate." He started and then looked the teen dead in the eyes.

"Is lower than 1%."

**Well that certainly fairs well for our heroes.**

**Hi! Welcome back for another chapter of: SK struggles to write good villain dialogue.**

**This chapter was on the shorter side again, but I'm pretty sure next chapter will make up for that pretty well.**

**Lucius is proving to be a task for me to write. Not that I mind it, since it's good practice for other villains down the line and I find his ultimate goal to be rather unique for an antagonist. His actions are... odd. He has little remorse for his fallen mages in the fight, but he holds steadfast about making sure wizards are treated fairly. I really tried to channel some Hans Landa in there for him, but I naturally don't have Tarantino's writing chops, so it may not have come off as well.**

**A lot of these other sections speak for themselves honestly, from Cosmo's daddy issues, Yato seeing through some of Matt's mask, Jura seeing the cracks in Matt's mind, Siegrain's brief lapses of brainwashing removal.**

**We did meet some new characters in the Fairy Tail guild, but we'll get back to them later on.**

**Next chapter will throw some curveballs I'm excited to finally pitch out, so make sure you tune in next week.**

**Before we close out, I just started up my Nier Automata story, go check it out if you want. This'll be the last time I mention this in KoG, so don't worry if you think this will become a weekly ad.**

**With all that said and done, I bid you all adieu.**


	22. Unexpected Events

**Hello reader one and all! We got the typical treatment here before we get started!**

**Burning Moonlight: **Quiet you! Clearly, I, the perfect author make no such mistakes! It's obviously you who is wrong with your properly capitalized and spaced name compared to my own!

**Arclight001:** Yeah it's definitely fun being able to basically write my own lore as we move along in these kinds of places. We will have more stuff out of Fiore rest assured.

**Nemesis: **Y'know I could sit here and shit talk you for being kinda rude, but instead I'll be the mature one and offer a possible explanation as to why people like these kinds of things.

The simplest explanation is that it allows the reader to identify with the charachter in question. By having them use a tool for magic instead of breathing fire or turning giant, we can identify with the far more normal person in the exceptional world. So we cling to them as an anchor to the crazy world of magic.

It also shows that this character has a glaring weakness. This adds some subtle tension in each fight as they can be easily crippled if their tool is taken away. Weakness and frailty while having good reasoning for said flaws is the backbone for humanizing them. They can't fling swords from thin air, so they aren't that spectacular. They can very likely get hit and _not_ get back up. But that's why we want to root for them, because we know what that's like as humans.

We want them to succeed because we understand that struggle, that hardship of feeling worthless in the presence of far more spectacular things.

But that's just and abridged version, I could go full video essay on shit like this, but I got a fuckin story to tell so.

**With that done, let's mozey on down!**

Jura and Yoru snuck in via a moving rock dome on the ocean floor. They both breathed as little as possible to conserve air for the multi-mile trip. Though the ocean floor only being around 50 feet deep definitely helped with that process. When they hit a massive wall, they knew they'd arrived. Yoru pointed up and Jura nodded before activating his magic. The floor beneath them was lifted up as they rose to the surface.

After a quick trip up, Jura poked his head out from the dome which was slightly above the water now. He gazed around to make sure the coast was clear and nodded to Yoru once he was sure of it.

They quickly made their way to the grassy plain outside the wall. Jura touched the ground and felt for the oddity of the hidden entrance. Once he had found it, they quickly approached it.

Jura slowly pushed open the door that was hidden and they both made their way in, silently closing it behind them.

Still unaware if anyone was in the tunnel, Jura felt for any vibrations in front of them. Once he was certain they were alone, he spoke.

"The path forward is clear."

"Good." Yoru nodded and the pair made their way down the dark tunnel. "The armory should be right in front of the exit to this tunnel since it's in an alley. We don't know how crowded things are outside, so we may have to wait for it to clear up."

"Indeed, we should also try to eliminate people as quietly as possible to avoid groups D and E having to come too early."

"Don't worry about that bit, I'll handle the stealth. You handle anything that ain't gonna go down quietly." She smirked at the man as they approached their exit.

Once again, Jura felt for anyone nearby and gave the O.K. once he was sure they were clear. Yoru opened the door and quickly stepped out with Jura in tow. Jura took cover behind a crate as she closed the door and followed in his suit.

The building in front of them was quite sizable at two stories and made of brick with slanted, tiled roofs. No one seemed to be outside the building in the streets.

"Um. Testing, testing, one two three." A timid voice sounded in their ears.

"Getting you loud and clear Hina." Yoru spoke to no one seemingly.

"Oh good, I can hear the both of you too." Ken sighed in relief.

"Status report?" Yoru asked the other teams.

"Ultear and I got past the front doors pretty easily." Ken sounded unnerved.

"Cosmo and myself are currently hiding beneath the dock, but we don't see anyone here. Smells awful though." Hina pinched her nose, her heightened sense of smell making it far worse.

"You guys too? We're at the Armory but it doesn't seem like anyone is home." The purple haired woman squinted in confusion.

"I don't like this. Do you think they know we were coming?" Ken's tone turned serious.

"It's possible. Just stick to the plan for now. Shoot out a flare if you're in too much of a pinch." Yoru reassured the pair.

"Alright, keep safe everyone." Hina spoke before going silent.

"Likewise." Ken followed suit.

"I don't like this." Yoru scowled as she tried to find any sign of life.

"It is quite odd. Sure this city is massive for just two thousand people, but this is the main armory. The only explanation for it being empty is…" Jura didn't like where that thought led.

"It means they moved all the weapons. We can't be a hundred percent sure though." She bit her finger in thought.

"How shall we proceed?"

"I'll enter from the roof, you stand on guard here. If you hear fighting, come and help. Keep on guard though, for all we know this is a trap." Yoru didn't want to admit it, but this didn't look good. She somewhat wished these communication devices allowed her to reach the people who could make sense of this, but begrudgingly pressed ahead.

Jura nodded as the girl, with surprising speed, ran up the wall of the building and landed on the roof. She opened the door to the roof and slowly entered the building, making sure nothing passed the volume of a whisper in her wake.

Even with her trained hearing, she got absolutely nothing from the building with claustrophobic halls. Not a single voice, footstep or echo came from the structures innards.

"How's it looking out there Jura?" She slowly crept to a corner and looked around it, peering into another hall.

"Nothing so far. I don't even feel any vibrations in the immediate surface, so no one is approaching or even nearby."

It was like this section was a ghost town. The woman soon entered a room she could only assume to be the bosses office. She started looking for something, anything that could tell them what was going on. Her frustration and concern grew larger as she found absolutely nothing to tell them what had happened.

"Hello intruders! And welcome to the beginning of a new era!" A voice echoed throughout the entire city.

"Yoru-dono, is this perhaps Lucius?" Jura asked, keeping an eye out for anyone nearby.

"I bet you're all probably wondering where my rascally brothers and sisters are? Well that's my little secret for now!"

"Guys... we found… I don't even know what to say." Cosmo spoke grimly.

"What's the matter?" Ultear spoke with clear worry.

* * *

Cosmo and Hina swan through the ocean quite easily thanks to his Beast Transformation Magic. Hina held her breath as Cosmo raced through the clear waters as fast as he could.

Cosmo spotted the entrance as a hole beneath the large gates the ships left though. He and Hina swam though it and towards the surface beneath the docks.

"Infiltration successful." Cosmo smirked as he returned to normal.

"Good job Cosmo." Hina smiled before she sniffed the air and plugged her nose.

"What's wrong?" He raised a brow to the blind girl.

"It smells awful here." She complained, her voice strained as she tried not to gag.

"I don't smell anything." Cosmo shrugged after sniffing the air, only getting ocean. Hina then spoke to the others over the Lacrima in their ears.

"Alright, let's move out. Be careful though, the enemy could be hiding." Cosmo nodded at her words as they climbed onto the docks and hid.

"Okay, yeah, now I smell it too." Cosmo plugged his nose in revulsion. The seawater clearly overpowered the smell for him.

"Let's move." Hina and Cosmo quickly made their way from crate to crate, making sure to remain out of immediate sight on all sides.

"This is weird. I don't see anyone on all those ships." Cosmo scowled as the fleet of battleships all looked unmanned.

Soon the leader of the Dark Guild had spoken while the two advanced, listening closely as the smell got worse and worse. A blend of aromas that were almost impossible to individually identify.

The pair then stuck to the wall by the stairs and slowly moved up. At the top should be a massive plaza where the Soliders moved goods they received from the mainland. However at the top was an imagine Cosmo wished he too was blind to see.

"Holt shit." His eyes went wide as saucers.

"My god." Hina covered her mouth with her hands, her sixth sense telling her the whole story.

"Guys... we found… I don't even know what to say. " He spoke with the earpiece.

"What's the matter?"

"They're all dead." He spoke as he soon ran over to vomit.

"They're what?!" Yoru shouted over the line.

In front of the duo was what could be best described as a mass grave. Piles of corpses that had been practically reduced to cinders stuck together as sick sculptures. Rigor mortis-stuck limbs and vague vestiges of what one could make out to be wounds were the only helpful factor in determining that these, were in fact, at one point human beings.

"The brave soliders of this island fought with all their might. And despite being only human, they truly earned my respect. Unfortunately the less said about the fates of the civilians and families of these men and women, the better." The greenette sighed over the loudspeaker.

"That bastard!" Ken growled in frustration.

"I'm sending out a flare, this entire thing has gone FUBAR. Better to call in Etherion now." Yoru quickly spoke as she raced to the roof.

"Alright, make sure you-" Ken was cut off as the Communication Lacrima were all suddenly disabled.

"Ah ah ah. Now that you all know there's no civilian risk, I can't have you go and get Etherion fired on us can I?" He chided the group.

"Damn! He did know we were coming!" Cosmo swore as he finally got over his vomiting.

"Well, now that you're all up-to-date with current information. How about we play a game in honor of the King being present? It's called Last Survivor. The goal is simple, you try to stop and/or kill all of us and we do the same to you. Last side standing wins. Simple right?" His smirk was practically audible, but one couldn't tell if it was a malicious one, or a playful one.

"Now then, let the games begin!"

As he finished speaking, tunnels around the city opened up, causing all hell to break loose.

* * *

Ultear had been in some nasty fights with lots of people before. Par for the course when looking for the keys that awakened Zeref. However, this was completely ridiculous compared to any of those encounters.

Another head was smashed by her orb as his body fell limp to the ground, blood and gore quickly staining the streets in the wake of her attacks.

"Insect Soul: Scorpion Tail!" Ken shouted as the familiar tail spouted from his back and lashed out at a group of approaching Dark Mages.

His insect Soul proved useful when he camouflaged the pair with moth wings that blended in flawlessly with the wall. The type of Take Over, while rather obscure and underused due to its… peculair needs, offered powerful variety.

"There's no end to them!" Ultear shouted in annoyance as the mob seemed endless, but not quite as endless as she'd had expected.

"Close those holes!" Ken ran over and turned his arm into a Scorpion Claw and smashed it into the ground. Casing the passage the Dark Mages passed through to collapse.

Ultear easily caused them to collapse with her Arc of Time. So with nearby reinforcements down, they just had to work their way through what felt like hundreds of enemies.

The girl was at least happy she could kill without discretion, made the job a hell of a lot easier when you don't have to justify making a man's skull into paste.

When one mage broke the ball with a punch, he smirked wildly. Unfortunately for him, Ultear simply moved the shards to impale his neck. They passed right through and rejoined as the sphere.

"Insect Soul: Spider Silk!" Ken shot out a white fluid from his mouth that ensnared a small group of them tightly together. Then using the strength of a spider, they become a improvised morning star for the man.

Ultear ducked as the human wrecking ball flew over her head, smashing into the surrounding men.

'This is too easy. These guys are likely the D and C-Class fodder.' Ultear clicked her tongue as she sent her orb crashing into one man's spine, instantly paralyzing him. 'They're probably sending these guys out to weaken us for the big hitters.'

If that was true, then they had to deal with over 1500 Mages before the actual challenge began. Even someone at her level shuddered a bit at the thought.

When one of the Mages actually survived getting hit and managed to block her orb, she knew the higher tiers had started to drip feed in with the others.

"Ultear, we need to fall back and regroup with the others!" Ken went back-to-back with the girl.

"How do you reccomend we do that?" She continued to send her orb around, now aiming for other areas like knees and hips.

"Like this, cover your ears!" She did as told. "Insect Soul: Cicada Cry!" A sound that would put nails on a chalkboard to shame came from the man's mouth.

Blood violently shot out from all the ears of the nearby Mages, permanently removing them from the equation without a healer, which among Dark Mages, was slim to none.

The pair immediately headed towards the docks to meet up with Hina and Cosmo, their closest allies. While running, Ken shot a flare up into the sky.

"What are you doing?!" Ultear cried out as he was very blatantly giving away their location.

"I'm warning those back on the ship and letting the others know at least one other group is around. Hopefully they'll head our way." Ken scowled as the two continued to run towards the docks.

That all changed when a massive Shark came crashing through the southern wall and rolled to a stop right by the duo. It was soaked in blood and obviously dead, soon enough this shark transformed into the corpse of a large man. A massive hole was through his skull from his mouth.

"Smaehada?!" Ken cried out in shock.

"Ah christ, I'm gonna need new clothes after this." A voice called out by them.

The pair turned to see a blood-soaked Matt approaching them.

"Don't worry it ain't mine, head wounds bleed like crazy y'know?" He nodded in greeting at the pair.

* * *

Matt stood at the bow of the ship, glaring at the island.

"Something wrong?" Siegrain walked next to him.

"I don't like this. It feels like something is wrong." He put a hand to his chin in thought.

"Yeah, I kinda get that too." The bluenette scratched the back of his head when he noticed something. "Is that a shark?"

"Impossible, the water down here is way too cold for them." Matt wrote it off.

"Then how the hell is there a shark fin sticking out if the water?"

Matt followed his gaze to also see the telltale sign of the animal, the body camouflaged by the light reflecting off the water.

"Huh? That's not right…" Matt stared at the animal coming right towards their boat.

As it drew closer, the fin sticking out if it's back got bigger and bigger. Until it's top would've reached the deck of the ship.

"OH SHIT!" Matt yelled as he and Siegrain ran to the back of the boat.

Just as they did, the shark showed itself and bit deeply into the front of the boat, biting deep into the wood without issue.

"Is that a goddamn Megalodon?!" Siegrain was in disbelief.

However when Matt looked closer, he saw the truth.

"No! It's a mage! They're using either Take Over or Beast Transformation!" He summoned his bow as he spoke.

Sarutobi and Yato ran to the deck and looked in shock.

"Immediately we have a troublesome one." The older man clicked his tongue. "Samehada. S-Class criminal. He uses Take Over Sea Soul. Imprisoned for killing and cannibalizing over 100 people."

"Then all we have to do is kick his ass!" Yato smirked as she got in a battle stance.

"Hoh? You think he came alone?" A playful voice rang from above the quartet.

The four turned to see a man in Jester Outfit and mask atop the railing, shuffling a deck of cards.

"Joker. S-Class criminal. He uses explosive magic. Imprisoned for bombing over 40 villages." Sarutobi glared at the man.

"My, you've certainly done your homework." His expression was hidden behind the mask, but he was clearly faking his amazement.

"Matthew, Siegrain, you two handle Samehada. We'll deal with this bomber." Sarutobi ordered as the three others nodded.

"Way ahead of you!" Matt fired off Caladbolg II at the shark, hitting it right in the nose and causing it to dive back down with a roar of pain. Numerous teeth were still impaled into the timber, refusing to let go of the easily replaceable weapons.

Matt immediately headed to a lifeboat and kicked it into the water before he dropped down into it. Siegrain closely followed him.

"If this bastard plays underwater, then we simply lure him out." Matt raised his spare hand and summoned a blade, lightning cracked off the surface of it as he plunged it into the water. The entire area lit up as the voltage killed anything in an immediate area.

When no body came up, Matt stopped channeling lightning into the weapon.

"Hey Siegrain."

"Yes?"

"Were there any fish that could resist electric shock? I'm a bit rusty on my marine biology."

"If I remember correctly, there was a species of jellyfish that recently went extinct who were immune." The bluenette vaguely recalled.

"… Oh."

After he finished, a large tendril wrapped itself around the boat. Matt immediately stabbed the limb, a shriek of pain following its dive back into the ocean.

"Alright, if we can't shock the fish…" Matt turned to the teen, "Can you use ice magic?"

"No, but I can use fire magic." He made a flame appear in his hand.

"Got it, then I'll lure it over and freeze it to the surface while you start boiling this water, ain't no fish that can survive that." Matt then created a broadsword with an ice-like blade. Drawing it back into a created bow, the weapon elongated into a suitable arrow.

When the large fin emerged from the sea, he fired Ice Brand at it, freezing it with ice as high as the boat's deck. Unfortunately, Matt had underestimated how much muscular strength a giant shark would have, the cracking ice giving him a cruel answer.

"Tch. Figures. Get to cookin' then." He looked around, trying to find the shark. Suddenly a massive horn impaled itself into the life boat and lifted it into the air. "Shit! Narwhal!" Siegrain gripped the boat tightly, while Matt slipped and fell into the water, voiding the plan of boiling.

He looked up as the Narwhal had descended back into the water and sped off. Matt discard his bow as now it was melee only for the remainder of this. He had debated bringing out one of his few sea monsters, however if even he was having a rough time, their lower levels would make it too risky.

The ocean was brighter than he would've liked, but he could still see about fifty feet in front of himself once he got past the light from the overhead sun. Matt's instincts screamed at him to move left, upon doing so he narrowly avoided implement from a massive fish that shot past him.

'Marlin too eh? This guy has got dangerous variety.' Matt scowled as an idea came to mind. 'Need to kill him in one hit, but he needs to be bigger if I wanna do that.' He quickly surfaced. "Siegrain! Tell me you got something that hits very hard and very fast!"

The bluenette looked shocked for a moment before nodding with a smirk.

"When I give the signal, hit this bastard as hard as you can!" After that, he dived back into the water.

Summoning a knife, Matt cut his palm. The sting of the saltwater on his wound making him wince.

'C'mon you bastard, give me the form I want.' The teen looked around, trying to find the Mage. Matt was gambling on the animal instincts overpowering the mage, a legitamite concern with take over. When he saw a colossal mass approaching him, he smirked and summoned a trio of truly massive blades.

When the Megalodon went for a bite, the beast only got his mouth jammed open by three Buster Swords. Copious gallons of blood rushed out of the mouth wounds as the beast thrashed around in agony. Matt then stood on the belly of the monster and brought out his bow, sticking to the surface easily through another rune on the sole of his shoe, this one being the symbol of bonding.

'Smile you son of a bitch!' He mentally shouted as he pulled back an arrow and fired it directly through the jaw and to the brain. The shark, through the immense force of Matt's unstable magic power hitting it point blank, flew up into the air from the ocean with Matt still attached.

Soon after, an incredibly fast Yellow Blur struck the beast. Sending it flying straight into the Fortress. It broke through the wall with shocking ease and launched Matt into the city as well. He was soaked in blood from Siegrain smashing it, and being by the gaping head wound he made.

He stood after a moment and eyed the familiar duo of Ultear and Ken.

* * *

Jellal had to admit, that guy was absolutely nuts, but damn good at what he did. He had used Meteor at full power to smash the shark as instructed, but he didn't think Matt intended to use it as a way to get to the city and assist their comrades.

He gazed above as their ship was now ablaze with the fight between the Bomber and two Captains. The Bluenette debated helping them, but the matters in the city took priority. Plus they were Captains, he doubted they'd die so easily.

Using Meteor he rushed through the hole and into the city to see just what had happened. The path made by the shark was evidently clear, Jellal assumed Matt was in that direction. However the closer sounds of combat caught his ear as he spotted Jura and Yoru fending off archers with explosive arrows.

He acted quickly and struck them all down with his True Heavenly Body Magic. They hit the ground harshly and were dealt with by Yoru. "Siegrain" landed next to the pair.

"Thanks for coming when you did, things were getting ugly." Yoru caught her breath.

"Just what happened?"

"The bastard knew we were coming. So he either had a mole in the Council, or was expecting this kind of assault." The girl spat out in frustration.

"Yes, the situation is rather dire. Though that shark was certainly a surprise." Jura looked at the sizable hole in the wall.

"You can blame Matt for that, though I suppose taking out an S-Class this early is a good thing." The tern shrugged with a grin.

"So that was Samehada. How about the Captain and Yato?" Yoru inquired.

"They were fighting some guy called Joker back on the boat."

"Joker huh? Then they'll be fine." Yoru smirked. "Yato alone could handle him."

"Good to know. So what now?" Jellal looked around.

"Now we rendezvous with the others and make a new plan." The two men nodded at her words. They then followed the mayhem caused by the Shark to at least meet up with Matt, and hopefully the others followed suit with that idea.

* * *

"Hang back Captain," the blonde smashed her fists together, "I got this one."

"… Very well." Sarutobi nodded and hanged back, allowing the blonde to fight alone.

"Ho? The little girl is that anxious to die eh?" The fake jester landed on the wooden floor.

"Die? Hell no, I just haven't had a piece of action yet this whole trip." She smirked widely as a boxer stance was taken.

"My my, the council making such a blood seeker a captain doesn't bode well." The bomber mocked her before quickly snapping his fingers, causing the spot she stood on to immediately explode. "But my fireworks shall destroy such ugliness." His posture went lax as he assumed the girl dead, though a fist being driven into his temple had other plans.

The S-Class criminal was sent through the stairs as Yato approached, completely unharmed.

"How in the?!" He cried out, his mask cracked with blood seeping through the damages.

"How indeed I wonder?" She kept her magic hidden as the woman messed with the murderer.

"Just die!" A large explosion englufled the northern deck, causing the sails to catch ablaze.

The mage had no time to think as Yato simply ran through it and continued her viscous assault of punches and kicks, beating the mage senseless before a retaliation was even possible.

'He stood no chance. Yato's magic allows her to shield her body by channeling magic power into it. And if he even broke it through some miracle of god, the absorbed damaged is funnelled into her as raw power for a temporary boost.' Sarutobi lazily analyzed the situation as he saw Matt and Seigrain enter the city.

"Ha!" Yato delivered a viscous uppercut to the Dark Mage, knocking him out and sending him into the ocean.

"Nice job." Sarutobi spoke as he approached. "Now we need to meet up with the others."

"And how do you reccomend we do that? The only lifeboat just sunk and the ship is about to join it." She looked around the burning vessel.

Sarutobi smirked, causing her to feel genuinely unnerved.

The older man raised his hand as yellow energy funneled out of him and into a shape next to him.

"Come forth Monkey King!"

The shined as the void of magic power was filled up quickly. Once it cleared up, a familiar humanoid Monkey in armor stood before them, lazily picking its nose.

"What's up Sarutobi?"

"Fling us over that wall." He pointed to the island five miles away.

The Monkey shrugged and extended his staff. Sarutobi grabbed Yato in one arm and the top of the staff with his other.

"And here. We. GO!" He swung them in the air and flung them as hard as he could, his inhuman strength far surpassing any sense.

"AHHHHHH!!!" Yato screamed in terror as she clutched Sarutobi.

"Hmph. Amateurs." He grinned as they went over the wall easily.

From the sky, he spotted the group of six of his comrades and directed their landing towards him. The massive property damage trail from Matt's entrance was a convenient trail to follow after all.

Their descent slowed as Seigrain used Air Magic to slow their fall gradually.

"Well if it ain't our fearless leader." Matt smirked as he wrung his now soaked clothes. He'd asked Siegrain to wash him off so the blood didn't stink him up, lord only knows the amount of sewing he'll have to do already, stink was something he'd rather avoid.

"Where are Cosmo and Hina?" Sarutobi looked around.

"Over here!" They heard the man in question call out as he and Hina approached.

"Good. Everyone is gathered now." Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction. "So can anyone fill me in on what happened?"

Yoru, Hina and Ken explained the situation to everyone.

"So everyone that lived here is dead." Matt scowled in disgust.

"It seems our enemy is more competent than we had anticipated. However it seems a good chunk of the weaker Mages have been dealt with." Sarutobi placed a hand to his chin.

"Yeah. Plus Joker and Samehada are down for the count too. So that leaves 18 S-Class' left." Ken seemed somewhat relived that while rough, everything was still on track.

"So what now?" Yoru asked their leader.

"The objective to eliminate the threat remains the same. However I'm now allowing you to use whatever means neccessary to succeed. Cause as much mayhem as you want now that civilians can't be harmed."

"That's precisely why I had the military taken out of the equation. Though the civilians were an unfortunate loss, there's nothing that can be done now."

The group turned to see Lucius smirking at them confidently as he stood.

"It wouldn't be any good if my fellow brothers and sisters couldn't express their magic to its fullest degree. Though unfortunately most of them perished in the mere act of taking the island."

'So that's why it didn't seem as bad as it should've been.' Ultear scowled as the corpses that the others found might've even had some of their own in there.

"Sorry buddy, but I am not your brother." Matt bluntly spoke to the man.

Lucius shrugged at the teen. "Deny it all you want, but us Mages are all family. And I truly do love my family." He grinned wickedly. "So much so in fact, that I'd love to reunite everyone."

With a snap of his fingers the plaza was flooded with the remaining Dark Mages. A sea of people covered the area. The group formed a circle as they all covered each others backs.

"Now then, how about we get the reunion star-"

A massive black and red blast of magic struck the man and sent the Mages around him flying. "Sorry, but I'm not the patient type with you extravagant adults. I prefer to cut to the chase if y'know what I mean?" Matt smirked as he held a black katana.

"Oh I do understand. My apologies for delaying the show, King." The dust settled to reveal Lucius was perfectly fine. "I'd love to be your entertainment for this lovely evening. Its truly been some time since I've tested myself." Lucius smiled as he approached the teen.

"Hoh? You're approaching me?" Matt raised a brow.

"Why of course, the festivities can't begin until we come to blows after all." His casual attitude in the face of someone that took down God Serena somewhat unnerved even Sarutobi.

Matt began to walk towards him too. "Then come as close as you want."

As soon as he finished speaking, he was almost instantly in front of the man, his fist reeled back for a devastating punch. However to his shock, he was suddenly pushed towards the sky.

That's when the fighting started for everyone else.

Matt, using a blade as a platform, kicked off it and back towards the man. As his blade was about to hit, once again he was flung back. Quickly swapping out to his bow, Matt fired a scattershot of Magic Power arrows at the man who dodged.

'He didn't dodge before, but he avoided those? Is there a window of vulnerability?' Using the face of a Dark Mage, Matt leapt back into combat.

He summoned multiple copies of Kanshou and Bakuya, firing them at the man who repelled them. However as soon as they were repelled, Matt fired a sword-arrow at the man who jumped over it.

'I see, the window is slim but it's still there.' Matt's expression hardened as a strategy formed.

He landed with his back to a group of dark mages, they immediately tried to attack him, but Matt's shadow came to life and repelled them. A black mass arose from it before taking the shape of a large cat with a cape.

"Thanks for watching my back." Matt kept his focus on Lucius, who seemed perfectly content in allowing the conversation before him to occur.

"No problem boss." Dark Panther nodded and sunk back into the void.

"You're awfully courteous for someone trying to kill me." The teen scowled at the greenette.

"Kill you? Perish the thought." Lucius seemed genuinely taken aback, "I'd sooner break every stained glass window in Pergrande that kill a true artist of his craft such as yourself."

Matt raised a brow at that, but lowered it when he got the signal for his plan from a certain flying friend.

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to test that dedication." He charged in with a barrage of blades, Lucius deflecting or dodging them as Matt pressed ahead.

The greenette opted to leap back into the air, this is exactly where Matt wanted him as hidden in the current barrage of weapons, was a wire he managed to wrap around the unsuspecting ankle of Lucius.

Lucius' eyes widened as he was swung around in the air, his body slowly getting furthur and furthur from Matt.

"There!" Matt snapped the wire down and chucked Lucius into a bakery. Naturally the man took no damage from the fall, but the dust did agitate his sinuses.

"My, for such a fancy trick, I expected a bit more." He absentmindedly spoke before duck under a blade fired right at him, causing the ground to give slightly. Lucius looked through the hole to the basement, his eyes turning into saucers as he realized, this was where the army hid their Lacrima.

**BOOOOOOOOM**

With blades as his support, Matt stood against the colossal explosion that had occured across town. With the obvious hindsight that a good army would hide their explosives in the case of an invasion, it was just down to where the least obvious place would be for Matt to pin down the location. Though he didn't expect this much of a result from blowing it all up.

Houses flipped off their foundation entirely as what the teen estimated to be a quarter of the island was reduced to rubble. His teammates barely having time to stabilize themselves in the wake of the earth-splitting eruption.

And yet.

"Marvelous! Simply marvelous." The familiar shape of the greenette walked through the hellfire and brimstone like it was a casual stroll through a park.

"Please dear King, show me what other tricks you have in store!" He genuinely smiled with excitement.

* * *

"Insect Soul: Hornet Stingers!" Ken fired sharp stingers from his finger tips, piercing what he assumed were a wave of C-Class Mages that had regrouped after that explosion.

"Why hello there puppy!" Ken dodged as the ground around him erupted and tried to eat him.

In the crater was a man of tan skin and bald head. He only wore tattered pants as the rest of his body were covered in tally marks, many of them quite fresh.

"Hannibal." Ken spat out in disgust.

"Oh I'm so glad you remembered!" He licked his lips. "I still always wondered what Man-Bug tasted like!" The cannibal smiled in glee and charged the Rune Knight, intent on finishing their fight.

* * *

Jellal plowed through another group of Dark Mages with ease. To him it seemed the only challenges were S-Class, and even then he'd killed five of them already. It was pretty easy when they underestimate you based on your age. Also fortunate they leave their necks so open to unfortunate trauma.

Suddenly he dodged a strike the engulfed the area by him in light purple flames. He skidded on the ground and came to a stop.

"Hark young heretic!" A bald man in priest vestments and covered in black markings approached the teen. "Cleanse thyself of sin willingly, or face my cleansing fury!" The small pupils of his eyes made his gaze seem predatory to the boy.

Something about him gave the teen bad vibes. Was it that odd magic or those eyes? Probably both if he was being honest.

"Flame Devil's Rage!" An intensely hot beam of light purple fire shot out from his mouth. Jellal quickly dodged as the attack carved through his own comrades, scorching their flesh and causing it to boil.

'So much for "Family" eh?' The bluenette smirked as he flew around the man and used a Hit and Run tactic on him.

"Flame Devil's Epicenter!" A wave of that fire erupted all around him, smacking Jellal and having him collide into a building with his speed of Meteor.

Various Dark Mages screamed in agony as they were burnt alive by their comrades attack. Jellal slowly stood back up, his head leaking blood.

'Kaiser Naklava. An S-Class.' Jellal clicked his tongue. 'This guy hunted demons for the church and eventually snapped, killing anyone he thought of as evil and racking up a ridiculous body count.'

"Come now devil child." He gestured widely. "SHOW ME A GOOD TIME!"

* * *

The ground around Jura shot up as the iron-hard stone clobbered into the Dark Mages around him. Jura didn't honestly expect to be fighting a mob like this twice in a day. So his reserves were getting a bit too low for his comfort.

"Acid Rain!" Jura immediately covered his head with rocks as a sickly green liquid poured down atop of here he was.

The fluid stunk quite profusely. However the even worse part was what it did to people.

"AHHHHHH! OH GOD HELP ME!" One Dark Mage screamed at the top of his lungs in agony as a single drop of the liquid got onto his arm. What it did though nearly caused Jura to vomit. The skin turned bright red and then black before falling off in rotted clumps that made vile squishing sounds as it hit the cobblestone street. What was left of the arm were exposed tendons, ligaments, blood vessels and just a bit of muscle.

The man died from shock immediately after seeing the state of his arm. As did anyone else after they were hit by the effects of the acid.

"You would do this to your own comrades?!" Jura roared at the man.

"Comrades?" The lanky man wore a purple suit and sported neatly done blonde hair, fair skin and blue eyes. "Parasites like these are not comrades. Especially if they get in my way."

This man was Pietor Strudum, an S-Class wanted for over 200 murders and an even longer list of Human Rights Violations.

* * *

"Rragh!" Cosmo roared as he smashed a carriage into a group of his foes. He was in his other Beast Transformation at long last. His body was massive at around 15 feet with thick blue scales, sharp claws and sharper rows of teeth, translucent hair that was reminiscent of tendrils, long white spikes from his elbows and knees, and small purple spikes all over his back, forearms, shins, feet and fists that acted like body hair.

Cosmo leapt up as he narrowly dodged a sword slash that took out the ground he was formerly on. He smashed into the ground and faced his opponent.

A man in oriental clothing and with long black hair silently faced him.

"Manslayer Batou." The beast muttered. "Wanted for killing over 3000 men in cold blood."

The Swordsman remained silent as he took a stance and leapt at the giant.

* * *

Ultear clicked her tongue as she dodged another swipe from this bastards tail. She caused the ground beneath him to collapse and smashed his head with her orb.

'This is ridiculous.' She took out another five Mages. "Master Hades said Naraka was filled with uncivilized brutes, but this is insane!' Her foes held no regard for their own safety. At this point they were doing more damage to themselves than they were to her group!

In her exhaustion, she failed to notice an oncoming attack behind her which was fortunately blocked.

"That's a dirty trick." Yoru spat out as she stood. "Though I'd expect no less from the Butcher of Bosco. Ain't that right Rasputin?"

A man dressed in oriental vestments approached the pair with a cold smile. His pale skin and short brown hair didn't seem all that threatening, however…

'This guy... he gives the same vibes as Master Hades when he's upset!' Ultear nervously shook.

"Rejoice young girls, for I shall send you both to the promised land." His calm smile spoke only of death.

* * *

"HA!" Matt shot another arrow at Lucius to dodged it with a smile.

He flung himself at the man and just when his sword was about to hit, it was stopped midair.

"Honestly aren't you gonna try anything new?" He sighed out, but was quickly put on guard by Matt's smirk.

Two blades shout out from behind Matt, aimed right the green haired man's head. He narrowly dodged the two and went to speak to Matt, but found himself unable to breath.

Matt dropped to his feet and smirked. He'd had a wire attached to the pommels of those swords.

"This is the end!" He swung a blade up to deceptate the man, however…

Flashes of torment surged through the greenette's mind as his magic went haywire and repelled everything in the area.

The warm, iron tasting fluid of blood shot from Matt's mouth as the wire was repelled off Lucius and directly into his open body. A cold, unforgiving piece of string nearly bisected the careless teen, the blades smashing together at the end making sure that wasn't his untimely end as only his spine kept him in once piece.

His body was flung out and through a shop window. The teen dry heaved as a sense of unimaginable pain surged through his being. Blood pooled to the floor as his arm clutched the gaping wound, the warm and slimy entrails being solely held in by the trembling limb.

Fighting through the agony, Matt managed the pull out Kuriboh just as his vision began to be overrun by black spots.

"Huuuuhhhh." He breathed in deep as the wound healed. Matt breathed hard as his life nearly flashed before his eyes. It was the third time he'd knocked on death's door so brazenly.

The teen grit his teeth and stood shakily, he glared daggers at the man across from him who seemed relieved his foe was still standing.

"You are as resourceful as they say!" Lucius laughed as he faced the teen. "I'm very impressed King, you've bar none come to closest to actually hitting me." The man wiped his mouth with a grin. "Unfortunately your plan of exploiting a window between my ability, while extremely well done, was ultimately a worthless endeavor."

Matt wiped the blood off from around his mouth and spat out the lingering fluid.

"Allow me to let you in on a secret of mine." Lucius smirked widely. "That window you believed you could exploit?" He chuckled, "It doesn't exist at all."

"What?!" Matt's expression turned to one of shock.

"You. Can't. Hit me. It's impossible. No one has ever succeeded in doing so with this Magic. And no one ever will." He openly gloated to the teen.

'Goddamnit! So how does it work then?!' Matt's mind raced a hundred miles a second as he tried to formulate a new plan. 'Testing the water again is pointless, I've already seen _what_ his abilities do. It's the _how_ that I can't grasp.'

"Oh my. It seems as though most of my remaining forces have been eliminated. I certainly didn't expect it to happen that fast." He shrugged. "Then again I suppose some of them did it to each other."

'I need to figure out how he repels things! But how?!' Matt's mind had been under heavy pressure before, but he wasn't used to this much. He also wasn't used to a magic this ridiculously tricky to figure out. On top of the large blood loss from earlier, nothing coherent was landing in his brian.

Lucius dodged an incoming explosion from the side.

"Matthew, I'm ordering a retreat. Fall back with the others now!" Sarutobi stood in front of him with a grim expression.

"Sarutobi?" Matt looked at his expression with concern. Why the hell was he so-

"KEN!!!" Matt turned his gaze to the cry and the weight of this entire job set in to him.

* * *

"HAHAHA!!!" Hannibal cackled as he dodged another of Ken's attacks. The Dark Mage then activated his Magic, Devour Point.

The Rune Knight jumped up as the ground beneath him turned into a mouth and tried to eat him. In retaliation he shot out numerous stingers at the man who guarded and took the pain. Blood oozed from the numerous stab wounds on his arms.

"Ken!" He turned his gaze to see Hina approach. It seems like she'd handled the threat around her.

"Hina, go provide backup to Matt. He'll need it if he's facing Lucius." He told her without averting his gaze from the man in front of him.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" He suddenly started laughing the hardest Ken had ever heard him. "Defeat Lucius?! That's impossible! Tell me Council Dogs, why do you think all 2000 of us didn't just turn on the bastard from the get go?" His smile went beyond what a human face should be capable of. "It's because he could kill us all in the blink of an eye without a scratch."

That certainly got the two to be legitimately shocked. One mage taking on 2000 incredibly dangerous Mages without so much as a scratch?

"Go Hina! If what he says is true then Matt will need your support!" The microsecond he cast his gaze from Hannibal would prove to be a major mistake.

The ground in front of the pair shot out at them, a large mouth opened wide, intent to devour both of them.

Ken pushed the girl away.

"Insect Soul: Bl-" Was all he got out as everything above his knees was devoured by the mouth. Two bloody stumps attached to feet with shoes and cloth were all that remained of the man now.

"KEN!!!" She cried out.

"Ah!" He rubbed his belly. "Delicious!" The man licked his lips. "Now for seconds!" He dashed right at the stunned woman.

This advance was soon stopped as a large Monkey kicked the man in the head and sent him through a building.

Hina looked at the remains of her comrade, frozen in shock as her gaze was locked onto the remains of the man she lov- loved.

"Everyone retreat!" Yoru shouted out. She ran over and grabbed Hina, knowing damn well the girl wouldn't be doing anything herself.

Matt gazed over as Sarutobi began fighting everyone else. Using weapons in tandem with various creatures. A massive bird shot fire out, a snake coiled around others and used its potent venom, a large mix of various earth animals plowed through a group.

Matt's fast clenched so hard it drew blood as he gazed at the sight.

'Am I really gonna run?! After all these God forsaken years I've spent getting stronger, I have to run at the first sign of a true pinch?!' His teeth clenched so hard they felt like they'd break. 'And to abandon a comrade in top of that?! Don't fuck with me damnit!'

As Matt prepared to head back into the fray, a firm hand grasped his shoulder.

"I understand your pain Matt-dono, truly I do. However there is a time when you fight to protect and a time when you fight to live. And you can not protect if you don't live." Jura's hardened expression locked eyes with Matt.

Somehow his body clenched in fury even furthur as those words took root.

"GOD DAMNIT!!!" The teen roared as he and Jura ran from the ongoing battle.

"Iron-Rock Wall!" Jura raised a massive wall to block their escape as they headed deeper into the ruined city.

"My my, so I trade in the King for one of the council's top three dogs?" Lucius' playful smile turned into a conflicted one. "On one hand, your abilities as a mage are extraordinary. Though on the other, you carry out their orders in the name of justice and ignore the true injustices of this world."

Lucius' smile disappeared entirely as he glared at the man, his decision made.

"Blind to injustices or not, it's still my duty to protect this world from those who would so brazenly hurt others!" Sarutobi took a stance with his spear as he too glared at the man before him.

As everyone else was preoccupied with his summons, the pair stared each other down.

Until.

.

.

.

"What should we do?" Rasputin asked as he gazed at the large wall made by Jura. He could easily morph its shape to allow passage.

"Let them go for now. Allow them to lick their wounds for the time being. They'll come to us after all." Lucius smiled as he tossed an object in his hand.

The remaining group of S-Class mages and the lucky fodder stood in the ruins of the last fight. Not even 100 of them remained now after that scuffle. Though Lucius could care less, his plan still going perfectly. A smile graced his face as he played with the toy in his hand casually.

What none of them noticed was a three-legged crow watching from a distance before quickly flying off. Lucius scratched some irritated skin on his cheek, what he hadn't realized, was that this was a wound. A small, insignificant flesh wound that practically no one would feel, but it was still a wound. Damage had been done to the seemingly invincible man. The cost of this invaluable information however, was a high one.

"By the way Lucius, is that really necessary?" Batou raised a brow at their leaders current "toy".

"But of course! After all…" Lucius grabbed a broken pole on the ground and stabbed the object he'd been messing with. "Revolution can not begin without a message."A true symbol of war was now in his hand.

At the end of this pole, rested the severed head of one Captain Sarutobi.

**Well... this bodes well.**

**Welcome back everyone! This chapter was uh... something. I'm ridiculously nervous and anxious while writing this since this is a hell of a way to kickstart the back half of this arc. Killing characters has always been a nervous prospect to me as an author. Especially killing somewhat newer characters people ****haven't had a lot of time to really bond with.**

**Also Matt almost died... on _accident_. That alone should give you an idea of how much of a fucking monster Lucius is, but him killing Sarutobi was the punctuation mark I needed to set the stage and the odds for the rest of the arc.**

**Next chapter will deal with the fallout as our beaten and battered group tries to rally back together for the final battle.**

**Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go hide from the deserved heavy criticism I am fully aware of before its even typed while I sleep.**

**I bid you all adieu.**


	23. Intermission

**Kept you waiting huh?... yeah sorry about that, I just needed a break y'know? Anyways, we got some comments to answer!**

**Darkmaster10000000: **No, canon will definitely have a MUCH lighter tone, very akin to how it normally is. Some new subtext and background will make some motivations and moments darker, but overall the tone will be virtually the same.

**Arclight001: **Yeah, I'm honestly kinda regretting some choices this arc. I'll definitely go more in-depth with where my mindset is with the AN for the epilogue of the arc and where I wanna take the story after this phase of Matt's character/journey is over. Also, oh yeah it is, remember Lucius slaughtered an entire prison of guards without remorse. I'd think anyone that lived in a country with legal slavery would have a chip on their shoulder against governing powers for allowing it.

**Alright! That's done for now, so let's get a rollin'!**

In the dimly lit corners of a large mansion within central Bosco, a young green-haired boy smiled as he rushed through the halls in what could be best described as rags for clothing. His filthy naked feet slapped against the marble floor as a wide, ear-to-ear smile was carved into the boy's face.

"Mom! Mom!" He cried out as he opened a door to a bedroom.

Atop the sole bed of the room was a woman who seemed to be knocking on deaths door itself. Her sickeningly pale skin, shaking, frail limbs and exhausted eyes showing the how plainly tired her very soul was. Even her once beautiful green hair had lightened and begun to wither away. Her maid outfit hid this fact by covering her entire body, save her head and hands.

The woman turned to her son with a pained smile.

"What is it my sweet child?" Her coarse voice would make most people wince upon registration.

"Look at what I can do now!" He smiled and cupped his hands, a powerful, white-colored aura engulfed the limbs as his magic power took shape into a sphere. "Isn't it cool?!"

The woman gazed at her son's incredible gift, not with great pride or love, but with abject and primordial horror.

She grasped his limbs and looked to the open door, with surprising speed she rushed over and closed them.

"Listen to me closely Carlo, no natter what the circumstance is, never, and I mean NEVER, show this to anyone else." She looked her confused son in the eye.

"But- but why?" The confused boy's shoulders were seized by his mother.

"Because the people that truly hide behind the mask of this countries leaders wish to use your incredible gift to cause nothing but cataclysm. They wish to take the very expression of your soul, and have it serve their false god. Promise me Carlo. Promise me you'll listen to mother." Her eyes begged her son to listen.

The boy nodded, "I promise."

The woman smiled as the door barged open, a butler directed his attention to the woman.

"The master requests your assistance with... the usual." While bordering on a robotic tone, the plain disgust in the man's eyes spoke all that needed to be said.

"…I understand." Her hollow eyes nodded to the man who promptly left. "I'll be back before too long dear." She gave a kiss to his cheek and left, softly closing the door behind her.

"… It's not fair. None of this is fair." The boy bit his lip and cursed fate for this rotten hand.

* * *

The group of 9 made their way to a warehouse on the far northern wall. Thankfully no one was bleeding badly anymore, so no trail was left behind to follow.

Winged Kuriboh flew around and treated injuries, Matt having lazily summoned the beast before going off somewhere.

"What a handy magic." Seigrain clenched his hands tightly and nodded in approval, the bruises on his body healed.

"It's quite cute too." Ultear smiled at the creature as it was tending to Yoru currently.

Normally this would be Hina's job as she was the medic of the group, however…

'She's still out of it.' Yoru cast her gaze at the woman who sat in the fetal position with her eyes a blank stare. 'Can't say I blame her though, no one should have to see their lover be killed like that.' She looked around the room to judge morale.

Siegrain and Ultear, who leand and sat against the wall respectively, seemed fine both physically and mentally. However their eyes still held doubt as to whether or not they could succeed, she couldn't shame that mindset at this point though.

Yato paced back and forth, obviously itching for some payback. Yoru could at least rely on her to keep fighting. Though the woman also cast a worried glance to another member of the group covered in his own blood.

Cosmo sat on a crate, looking at his trembling hands. He was obviously scared shitless, Yoru couldn't blame him though. The remaining batch of opponents were not jokes in the least, hell seeing once comrade get eaten alive and one of the strongest members nearly bisected effortlessly should scare anyone senseless.

Jura in a meditative position. The girl was confident he was ready to go at a moment's notice, but likely wanted to be sure everyone was prepared before leaving.

The Monkey King that Sarutobi had summoned leaned against the wall by the door. His staff next to him. He served as a cold reminder for what may, no, what must have happened to their Leader.

Lastly, she looked at Matt who had an unreadable expression as he sat on the large pile of boxes and gazed out the glass ceiling the building had. Out of everyone, she was actually the most concerned for him. At the very least everyone else was showing emotion in some manner, he was just…

To say Matt was a mess would be an understatement. First off he loses a fight against someone he didn't even scratch. Sure, the teen still hadn't tried all his best attacks, but at the rate they were going? It would've ended in his sound death, hell it almost did. His damaged clothing laced in an oobsene amount of dried blood being a cold reminder.

Then he has to be saved by someone he didn't ask for help from. What the hell was it with people thinking they have to do something nice for him? He's the bastard that plans to leave all these truly wonderful people behind after all… though at this point, his fickle resolve to think there was still a way home had all but died. A part of him knew it, but the mere principle of the idea was just something he _did not_ want to admit.

And don't even get the teen started on how he had to run away. The guy who beat someone with four goddamn Dragon Slayer Lacrima and could destroy a metropolitan city, had to _run_. Sure, just spit in the face of his nearly nine years of hard work and say "Sorry kid, you just don't cut it," and kick him to the curb without a thought.

Finally there was the fact that Sarutobi probably sacrificed himself to he could live. If there was one thing Matt hated above all else: it's people that think they have to play the hero when they don't. Why the hell can't they just stay out of his business? Why the hell can't they just leave him alone to die by his own mistakes? And most importantly: why the fuck does he keep being so nice to invite all the love they show him?!

As he silently tried to guide himself through his self-imposed mental labyrinth, Yoru tried to pick up the pieces of this broken group.

Sure, the risk to continue was insane. However, this is taking it too damn far. How the hell could the council have not checked themselves to find Civilians? They have a giant magic laser in the sky, you'd think that they could aim it with some kind of camera. In fact, why the hell did they just not immediately assume the innocents would be murdered as soon as those evil bastards made land?!

The purple haired girl sighed before looking around once again. She stood with a stretch and approached the center of the room.

"Listen up, we'll be staying the night here in order to recover lost Magic Power and stamina."

"Are you sure that's safe?" Ultear, with clear uncertainty looked around the current hideout.

"Positive. If they wanted us dead now, they'd already have found where we are. They're likely waiting for us to come to them." The younger girl nodded, seeing her point.

"Jura, Siegrain, you two and me are gonna see if this place has any sleeping items. Monkey and Yato, keep that door guarded." Everyone nodded as they went off to do their jobs.

Ultear gazed up at Matt and sighed. Not even she could read what was happening with him, and it was starting to get on her nerves. So she did what any reasonable person would do, join the potentially beyoned-furious city destroyer for a midnight chat.

"Your little friend is certainly helpful." She smiled and sat next to him.

"Yeah, I suppose he is." His tone, while not robotic, was certainly unfocused. Ultear could work with that though.

Though to her surprise, Matt spoke first.

"Why do you seek to be stronger?"

Well she certainly didn't expect _that_ kind of question.

"I… wish to create a better world for myself." She calmly stated, answering honestly with carefully chosen words.

"Why?"

Ultear placed a finger to her lips in thought. "I suppose it's because I'd want what happened to me to never happen to anyone else."

"I see..." His expression was still unreadable.

"How about you? Why do you seek to get stronger? Let me guess, it's for your friends or something?" Ultear tried to tease him with a coy prediction.

"No, I got stronger for myself."

Well that certainly caught her off-guard. She blinked a couple times in surprise.

"I have a selfish desire you see. And I got stronger as a precaution to claim that desire." His gaze turned to the box he sat on. "However, over the years I've sought it out, I've realized just how lose-lose it all is." His legs rose as he crossed his arms by his knees. "So all the power I've worked to gain has been a complete waste; as no matter what I do, everyone loses. I still haven't lost sight of my desire, but now I know that either choice will leave me with immeasurable regret. If there even is more than one choice anymore."

He raised his right hand and clutched it. "So I don't know what to do anymore. Do I lay down and die so no one except me loses? Or do I push onwards so everyone loses?"

"Well you're wrong about one thing." Ultear looked at the stars. "If you died, everyone would still loose."

Matt scoffed, "Yeah right. They'll get over whatever feelings of grief they have for me faster than the alternative."

"Maybe. Maybe not." She shrugged. "It's true I can't even begin to understand your situation, what I can say is that you don't have to face it alone." His gaze met hers. "After all you've got that guild of loud fools as you described, and I suppose I'll lend you a hand if I feel like it." She smiled at the teen. "After all, friends support each other, stupid choices and all right?"

Matt took in her words. While his face was still unreadable, at the very least his thought process turned a bit more optimistic.

The girl stood and began walking off.

"Ultear." He spoke. "Thank you."

She grinned with her eyes closed and went back to the ground floor.

"Friends are there, no matter what decisions you make huh?" He absentmindedly looked to the sky.

* * *

"You can't do this!" The young boy shouted at the butler.

"Not my baby please!" A mother cried out in horror.

"Shut the fuck up! You don't get to have a say!" A fat, waste of flesh snarled.

"Humans are just each others playthings after all." A cloaked man wickedly smiled, the emblem of a dragon's eye engrained on the back of the robes.

"I'll always love you…" The dying woman smiled weakly as tears streamed down her eyes.

Lucius opened his eyes as he slept in the chair of the command room he'd currently housed himself in.

"That dream again..." He scowled as he reached into his shirt and pulled out a golden locket.

Opening it revealed a picture of a young boy and his mother.

"Rest assured Mother, I'll soon change this world for the better." He smiled warmly at the photo before putting it away.

The terrorist stood and approached the nearby window overlooking the ruined city.

"Now then, the time fast approaches on this day of reckoning. All the neccessary pieces are on the board. Every player has their endgame. And our leading men are almost ready to take to the stage for the final act." A smile rose on his lips, "And our dear audience awaits in anticipation." The flashing lights of the newly made control room had their illumination die out to the morning sun.

* * *

"So what's the attack plan?" Siegrain asked Yoru. It was currently about 6 A.M, and barely any sleep had been achieved.

"I'm still trying to figure that out." She looked at a map of the city. "All of them are likely holed up in the Command Tower. However they likely have traps set up for us if we just walked right in."

"Are we seriously gonna fight?" Cosmo shook, not having moved or slept since they arrived, the grim image of the deceased Ken and their leader marching straight to his inevitable death haunting the man's mind.

"We either fight and die here, or get executed by the council for Treason. Pick your poison." Ultear sighed at the young man's fear.

"We could run and hide though!" The redhead exclaimed. "The council can't chase us on another continent!" He desperately tried to make his case.

"..." Hina hadn't moved at all from last night, she hadn't even tried sleeping, her bodies systems in complete shellshock.

"I'm inclined to agree with the coward." Seigrain spoke up. "These odds are far less than 1% for us to win."

"You can't just run!" Yato yelled at the bluenette.

"Oh? Can you take on all the remaining enemies yourself then? Including the guy neither our dear leader or the King could handle?" He raised a brow at the blonde, her clenched teeth but silent voice answering that inquiry.

"…" Jura too remained silent, as he waited for something in particular to happen.

As the feelings of doubt and anger at each other grew, Yoru scowled in frustration.

'Damnit Sarutobi, just why the hell did you go and pull that stunt?! I'm... not cut out for this kind of thing.'

"Well to hell with this! I-" A fist mercilessly buried itself into Cosmo's face, sending him crashing into a crate. Silencing everyone and getting their attention.

Matt's eyes were covered by his bangs as he slowly approached the redhead.

"The fuck do you think you're- AGH!" Matt lifted the man by his throat and held him against the wall, the crimson fluid flowing from the broken nose freely.

"Listen to my words very closely all of you. Because the fact I have to say anything at all about this pisses me off." His furious eyes met Cosmo's, causing him to stiffen in fear.

"So you wanna run away at the first sign of challenge huh? You don't wanna face the Big Bad Dark Mage's do you?" He scowled at the redhead. "Fine, I'll let you go and walk away. As long as you can answer this question for me." The intensity of his gaze increased. "Why did you become a mage?"

The question was absurdly simple, so simple it should have been easy it answer; and yet, not a single voice of the group rose up to answer Matt's supposedly easy question.

"Was it for Fame? Glory? Power? The fact you can't even tell me means you've clearly forgotten. So allow me to remind you just what the hell a Mage is to jog your memories." He used his spare arm to roll up the sleeve of his right arm, showing his Guild Stamp surrounded by glass-shaped scars.

"A Mage is a person that doesn't let anything stand in their way. A Mage is person that laughs in the face of obstacles put in front of them. A Mage is someone who fights, be it for themselves or for others." His left hand clenched. "I once made a promise to myself. To grow as strong as possible so I could find the answer to my questions. At first my consciousness made me believe I did it all for myself. But eventually, I realized something after seeing the tears of my comrades. Seeing their grief and sorrow from the unjust cruelties they faced from this world. I grew to hate that rain they produced." He remembered the countless tears of his guildmates who suffered at the hands of rotten bastards and fate. "It took someone to remind me that no matter now bullheaded I think I am or want to be, that the lives of those around me are just as important as my selfish goal."

His eyes filled with a fire. "So why did I become a Mage? Because I'm a greedy King that wants to drown himself in his own selfish desires. So if seeing my precious companions smile and laugh makes me selfish. Than I'll accept that title without hesitation. And right now, I know dying here would surely upset those people in my Guild. So I'll fight against everyone if I have to in order to live. No force in the world will ever kill the selfishness of a King such as I, right?" He let go of the Mage, Cosmo coughing and he clutched his bruised throat.

"I'll fight, for both myself and everyone else. That's my reason for becoming a mage."

"…My father." Cosmo spoke. "I became a Mage to be like my father. I- I want to make him proud, to make him acknowledge me as more than just something he puts expectations on as his child."

"So what would you do in this scenario to gain his approval?" The teen gazed at Cosmo.

The redhead bitterly chuckled and stood. "He'd want me to kick those smug bastards asses for insulting the guild."

Matt nodded, satisfied with that answer and approached Hina.

"Stand up." He commanded her.

"..." The woman didn't even look his way, she probably didn't even acknowledge he was there.

Without missing a beat, Matt grabbed her by the collar and hoisted her up.

"I said stand up damnit!" He growled at her.

"H-hey!" Yoru went to intervene, but was stopped by Jura who still had a clam expression.

"Save your tears until after you've avenged your comrade. They serve no purpose on a battlefield such as this. And once you're free from this hell, only then do you have my permission to cry until you don't think anymore tears will ever come again." He looked the woman right in the eye.

He dropped her to the ground. "Now stand up for the memory of those who have passed, and for the will of those who push into the future."

The teen extended his hand to the woman.

"You're right." Her voice was coarse. "You're absolutely right." She denied his hand, instead standing up with her own strength. "Thank you, for reminding me that I'm supposed to protect everyone until the end. It's what I want, and I know it's what Ken would want."

Matt nodded as he approached the map.

"Now then, if everyone is done with the mid-life crisis, you three included youngsters, how about we get down to business?" He sarcastically chided the group.

Yoru gave a faint smile. 'So that's why you saved him in particular.' She approached the teen. "So what's the plan?"

"Quite simple: we storm the base." He plainly answered.

"Isn't that suicide though?" Seigrain raised a brow at Matt's plan.

"And aren't they expecting us?" Ultear added on.

"Yes and yes. However who said anything about the front door?" Matt smirked before turning to the silent man. "Jura, did you find them yet?"

"Yes, now that I know what to feel for, I've located the nearest one." The bald man finally stood up.

"What are you two talking about?" Yato scratched her head.

"We're gonna use the tunnels they used on us to get in down below, right under their noses." The teen smirked.

"That... could work." Siegrain nodded as he thought it out.

"Won't they flood us with their remaining Mages though once we're noticed?" Hina voiced up for the first time.

"Hey Wukong, how do you feel about good ol' fashioned payback?" He spoke up to the nature spirit.

The Monkey smirked, "What do ya got in mind?"

"You storm the front and show your great gratitude to our oh so gracious hosts."

"Ha! Simple to follow and I get to raise hell without concern! I like it." His smirked morphed into a full-blown smile. Though one couldn't tell if it was of excitement, or sadistic glee.

"Give us 20 minutes to get in. Once that time has passed, go all out. We have to time it so they don't immediately suspect we used the tunnels, but also need to get underneath the tower first." Matt pointed at specific areas on the map.

"This plan is the best one we got, I'm in." Yato smirked and popped her knuckles.

"Yeah, I can't run for dad's sake. I'll fight too!" Cosmo confidently shouted.

"For the sake of Ken and the Captain, I'll press on and carry out their will!" Hina's will was set in stone.

"Hmph. Honestly I'd like to see how this all plays out. So count me in." Siegrain grinned.

"It certainly wouldn't serve my conscience good if I just abandoned everyone when all of you seem so determined." Ultear coyly smiled.

"We would've been opponents before at the tournament Matt-dono, but I'd also never trade the chance to fight alongside you for anything." Jura solemnly nodded to the teen.

"Well if we go by majority then I got no choice." Yoru sarcastically grinned and shrugged.

"Then we're all in agreement?" The teen asked the eight people with him who all nodded. "Then." He stuck his fist out.

Jura saw what he was doing and joined his fist next to Matt's. Yoru, Hina and Yato followed suit along with the Monkey.

"Talk about hokey." Siegrain laughed through his nose as he joined in.

"Well they always say the best goes last." Ultear finally put her fist in the circle.

"Tonight we fight for the future and for the memory of those who are gone. Tonight we will show them who we are and that they won't stop us!"

The group unanimously cheered as the plan was set into motion.

* * *

"When shall I feast upon his soul?" A hooded figure boomed in a deep voice as he stood in the command room, glaring at Lucius.

"Soon enough my friend. Now go to your designated area and wait. I expect they'll begin their assault soon." The greenette waved the man off.

The large man wordlessly walked out with his steps making resounding thumps heard even down the hall.

"Now then King of Games, how shall you put me in checkmate?" The green haired man smiled. "I can't wait to find out."

* * *

The tunnels were dimly lit by torches which definitely helped since Magic Power didn't need to get wasted before the final battles.

"How much further?" Matt asked Yoru who had memorized how far they'd need to go.

"Another minute or so, we should be coming up on the exit."

They all ran at a brisk pace in order to time their entrance with Monkey's assault.

"How is that ape still around by the way?" Cosmo asked curiously.

"Captain Sarutobi used summons that can draw on natural Ethernano themselves to maintain form. Naturally they all have a limit to this, but the Monkey King is bar none his strongest." Hina explained to those unaware.

"I see a light!" Jura exclaimed as they group finally reached a large circular room.

It was completely white with four separate tunnels leading in the same direction. Well, it was white except for the stains of red in the middle of the room.

"Those bastards." Yato cursed in anger.

Hina covered her hands with her mouth and Yoru looked away with a pained look.

In the center of the room was a pole with Captain Sarutobi's head on top. A sign hung around his head that read "Welcome to the Show!"

Matt wordlessly walked forward and took the pole down and separated the head from it. After removing the sign he pulled out a white handkerchief from his pocket and covered his face with it.

"Rest easy Captain. We'll handle the rest." Matt stood as he walked past the head and stopped in front of the four entrances. "Four paths. Eight of us."

"Yeah." Yoru approached him with a fire in her eyes. "Split into groups of two."

"Dibs on the King!" Yato smirked as she draped her arm over his shoulders. They were to head to the far left door.

Meanwhile Matt tried VERY hard to not notice her impressive bust mere inches from his face. 'Goddamn second puberty' He nervously sweated.

"Siegrain and I shall head through this one." Ultear and the young teen faced the far right door.

"I shall ensure the safety of Hina-dono." Jura resolutely spoke. They faced the door on the center left.

"Then I guess that leaves Fish Boy and me." Yoru grinned as her and Cosmo took the last door, though the "fish boy" comment made him groan.

"Whatever any of you idiots do." Matt spoke. "Don't die." They all dashed forward with that. Heading into the unknown abyss that awaited them.

* * *

Yato looked at the teen intensely.

"Is something wrong?" He sweat nervously.

"Well it's just you remind me of my baby sister a lot."

"Oh. I see." Matt sighed in relief, sure having a very beautiful woman come onto him was nice as a warm-blooded male, but he also realized this body was still underaged… at least he thinks it is. Matt's knowledge of legal ages was pretty rusty.

"You both have that natural leadership aspect, you're both socially inept in your own ways, both of you certainly aren't getting a date anytime soon." Invisible signs of discouraging words stabbed into Matt. "Oh but you'd be so cute together! You're both the same age too so it'd work out perfectly! I always wanted a little brother!" As they ran she hugged the teen, smothering him in her mammaries. "You both could also use an older sibling figure to keep an eye on your boneheaded perceptions of yourself." She softly muttered.

"What was that?" He asked, breaking free of her hold.

"Oh nothing important, now let's get going hot stuff!" She pulled him along with a wide smile.

Eventually the pair reached a large room. It was completely white and empty with an entrance and exit. By the exit stood a large cloaked man.

"Just one guy?" Yato raised a brow.

"Be careful, if they only felt the need to put one guy on guard duty he must be strong." Matt got ready for the imminent fight.

"My. How long its been." The deep gravely voice of the man spoke out.

'What the hell is this feeling…!' Matt's body started quivering as if it knew something he didn't. As if it recognized something he didn't.

"It's been a long time brat. And it seems like your body remembers me… go~od."

"You know this weirdo?" Yato looked at him, trying to mask her concern.

"I-I guess I do?" Matt didn't get it, mentally he was fine, so why was his body like this?!

"Gildarts ain't here to save you now brat."

Matt's eyes became saucers as it all clicked.

"No…"

"And I can't wait to hear your screams." The man grabbed the hood and removed his cloak. His body was absolutely disgusting. Half of it was fine in a traditional sense, showing his pale skin, bald head and brown eye. The other half? Pure muscle and exposed tissue. You could literally see the tendons in his face moving as he spoke. It was like an anatomy dummy come to life.

"Vladimir Khan. S-Class criminal and former leader of Wicker Man." Yato spat out in disgust.

Matt collapsed to his knees, he began to hyperventilate and clutched his now aching shoulder. His mind incapable of forming coherent thought out of pure fear gripping him. Fight and flight mixed as his synapses stopped responding and his brain couldn't properly send out the right chemicals.

"Hey! Get yourself together!" She gripped his shoulders, but one look into his eyes told her it wouldn't be that simple to snap him out of it.

A memory flashed in her head as her sister watched their village burn to the ground. The utter despair and hopelessness in her eyes that haunted her. The feeling of uselessness from her weakness.

"Not again..." She spoke out.

"HAHAHA!!! Good! I'm so happy you remember the face of the man who will show you true pain once more!" He cackled loudly.

"SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH YOU PSYCHOTIC ASSHOLE!!!" Yato roared at the top of her lungs.

She stood in front of Matt protectively.

"If you want him, you're gonna have to get through me!"

Not again. She refused to allow another child feel that despair when she could help. No matter what…

"I'll burn away that fear." She spoke to seemingly no one. "And show you the true beauty of this world!" A thick red aura enveloped her body as she took a stance.

"THEN COME AND TRY IT!!!"

* * *

"If I may not be intruding, what sort of magic do you employ besides Healing Magic? If any at all?" Jura spoke to the woman as they ran down the hall.

"Oh it's no problem at all. Because of my ability to see Ethernano, I'm able to use my healing magic in a manner similar to enchantments. I require physical contact for it to work, but I can make you fight longer and have you subconsciously use magic power more efficiently." The woman smiled as they ran.

"I see, that explains why you were brought on this mission." Jura knew just how invaluable that kind of magic ability is.

"…" Hina's face turned downcast as she ran.

"Hina-dono?" Jura called to her with worry.

"Huh? Oh I'm so sorry, I must've zoned out there." She nervously laughed.

Jura could tell she was still hurting from losing not only Ken, but the recent confirmation of Captain Sarutobi's demise didn't help. Matt's words were only that, words. It was up to the girl to pull through and continue to fight on.

As much as he wished he could just have her sit out, even Jura had to admit her value in the coming battles is unspeakable.

While the man thought this out, they arrived in a large room with nothing in it except two men standing guard.

"Oh well hello~ there beautiful." Hannibal licked his lips. "I'm so happy you could join us and I could see you again!" An inhuman smile found itself on his lips. "So you can join your precious friend. I still haven't even digested him yet, just for you!" He rubbed his belly gently.

"Fuckin' freak." Pietor spat out in disgust over the man he was paired with.

"Stand back Hina-dono. I'll handle the offense." Jura stepped in front of her.

"… No." She spoke out as the woman stood next to Jura. "I refuse to allow someone to fight a battle that was mine to begin with!" The fires of determination blazed in her eyes.

"Hoh?! You do care!" Hannibal yelled in absolute glee.

"Jura, I'll provide backup to you while I handle Hannibal. Just keep that Acid off of me." The woman took a fighting stance.

Jura looked surprised for a second before smirking. "Of course!"

Pietor took a wide stance. "Well then, time to take out the trash!"

* * *

The ceiling above Yoru and Cosmo shook.

"Looks like the Monkey started. Let's not waste time!" Yoru basically dragged Cosmo along due to their speed difference.

"Uh, Yoru, can you please slow down?!" Cosmo was being dragged like a ragdoll as she ran.

"Sorry! Can't waste any time!" The woman playfully smirked as they finally approached the room in front of them.

"Welcome young ones." Rasputin's deep voice boomed in the large, hollow room.

"Of course we get one of the worst ones…" Cosmo sighed.

"Ah calm down, we can take him." Yoru grinned as she took a stance.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Cosmo shrugged before transforming into the large beast he'd used earlier. Unfortunately his other form was 100% underwater use only, but this one had some nasty tricks of its own.

"I see. So you wish do die with dignity." The foreign priest sadistically smiled. "Very well then."

* * *

"So, what kind of forces do you think are left?" Ultear asked nonchalantly.

"Dunno, seems as though the only threatening one is the leader. So we have nothing to worry about." Jellal confidently spoke.

"Be careful now. If you raise your head too high, you won't notice the noose you wrapped around it." Ultear teased the bluenette.

"Hoh? Throwing out words of wisdom are we? Where'd that come from?" The teen shot back.

"What can I say, not every day I can interact with someone that holds intelligence." Considering the Kin currently consisted of herself, Zancrow, Kain, Zoldeo and recently Azuma, she longed for normal conversation with someone that actually used their brain. Master Hades excluded of course.

"Well Batou, it looks like the young sinners have arrived." Kaiser smiled at the two recent entries to the room.

"…" The Swordsman remained silent, the usual according to anyone that had ever seen or interacted with him outside of the boss.

"Tch. This bastard." Jellal clicked his tongue in annoyance. He hated to admit it, but this guy had proven some trouble beforehand. What did he expect though? Kaiser was a demon hunter after all.

Ultear scowled at Batou. He was on the list of those as potential Kin, but he turned down Master Hades citing Grimoire Heart as foolish idealists. Those were words she couldn't forgive someone for saying in relation to their goal. To her goal.

"Words of repentance shall no longer suffice to tainted souls such as your own." The odd-colored fire blazed behind him, "Fear not! I shall cleanse your souls with this fire that devours demons!"

* * *

"It seems like the final desperate struggle for victory has begun." Lucius smiled as he looked out the window. Sarutobi's summon was certainly doing damage to the remaining forces that weren't S-Class, in fact the Mage honestly figured he'd defeat them all quite easily.

"Unfortunately all your attempts will be for naught." He walked back to the chair in the center of the room.

"The sacrifices of my Brothers and Sisters will not be in vain. I'll have sent a loud and clear message to the world after today." His hand was placed over his heart, covering the locket he oh so treasured.

"And soon your sacrifice shall bear fruit Mother. The world is going to change sooner or later, but so many innocent lives will be lost to that time. So I'll just accelerate that process myself." The warm smile upon his face faded.

"No matter how many bodies must be walked over for it to succeed."

**We approach the penultimate chapter of this arc! Welcome back everyone, once again I apologize for the delay, but I just needed a me week. Almost six months of consistent posting can be a bit exhausting after a bit y'know?**

**So, we got a fair bit here to kinda bounce around and discuss.**

**Firstly was a short bit of Lucius' backstory, unfortunately I'm not gonna be able to get everything I want with that our before this arc ends, but I don't feel too bad about that for reasons later on. Also I may or may not have hinted towards some future antagonists our dear guild will contend with down the line, nothing to worry about for now.**

**So Matt was pretty fucked up. I think anyone that lays in a pool of their own blood would definitely get a kick in the ass mentally. He's really not a fan of others helping him like that, mostly because he basically hates himself. I'll discuss more about one of the prevalent things that will be driving Matt forward for a significant while after this arc is done, but it's something I think most people will understand quite well.**

**Vladimir has returned as likely expected from some of you and commented on by another. I'll go more in-depth about why he's back besides the obvious next time and a bit for the epilogue, (that AN is gonna be lengthy since I have a lot I wanna get out there).**

**Lucius' plan is coming together, but it's not _quite_ ready yet. I've given some hints towards it from his obsession with Matt in particular, his big talk and metaphors for making the events at the island a big show and message to the world. I'll be surprised if people can piece it together before more info next week with the bits and pieces I've given since the end of the last arc, but hey, I'll send ya a cookie wrapped in a newspaper of ya do... I actually probably won't since it'll expire by the time it arrives but uh... I'm just gonna stop there.**

**Next chapter is gonna be very action heavy to everyone's surprise, and we're gonna get a genuine interaction between our protagonist and antagonist.**

**Until next time, I bid you all adieu.**


	24. Prelude to the End

**Greetings and salutations dear readers. We're gonna get some responses out of the way real quick before moving on!**

**Raidenenshou: **Oh Matt isn't just scraping S-Class, he is firmly on that level. I was kinda implying back when he and Gildarts fought that he was on the cusp of S-Class, and in-story that was well over a year ago and a God Serena ago. So by now he's firmly placed himself on that level.

**anzafay21: **The Fairy Language book holds the key for Matt to get some _really _powerful abilities. I've extremely vaguely hinted towards what exactly he could do with that book, but that'll be expanded upon much more down the line.

**Crocodile59: **With the guess about Erza Matt did, that can be mostly attributed to the kind of bleed effect media can have on people. When you read about something so much and hear about it a ton it leaves an imprint in your head. So when you actually see something vaguely like it in-person, your mind automatically jumps to a conclusion. Granted this was right for Matt, but he didn't vocalize it on the off-chance it wasn't true.

As for Serena this early, that was definitely a risk. However when Matt's performance against Gildarts is taken into account with the given time gap for getting stronger and Dragon Slayer's having a _ton_ of exploitable weaknesses (especially Serena and his attitude on top of not having a full arsenal of 8 Lacrima). It's not an obscure stretch, especially since Serena basically did himself in at the end. I 100% understand why you'd think that way though and get if you still don't completely buy it.

**Okay, now that that's done, let's get this show on the road!**

"HA!" Yato threw a devastating punch to the kidney of Vladimir, a hit hard enough to rupture the organ. Despite this, the madman never lost his twisted smile.

She ducked under his punch and savagely slammed a left hook to his liver. A hit that should paralyze even the best fighters with absurd pain tolerance, was taken in glee by him.

The fight was primarily this from the beginning to where it was now. Her dodging his poorly executed attacks and him taking her blows without visible injury, a true stalemate whose deciding factor would be stamina.

'The hell is this guy made of?!' Yato stepped back from a right jab and got some distance. 'He hasn't hit me once so far, but I'm not visibly doing any damage. Doesn't look like he's getting tired either…' Yato was far from exhausted, but as any fighter will attest, defending is much less exhausting than attacking. Even if she was one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in the Rune Knights, it meant nothing if her opponent wasn't hurt by her.

Using her peripherals she caught a view of the still paralyzed Matt. The girl doubted he could move even if his mind wanted his body too. She might as well consider this fight one on one at this rate.

Vladimir licked his lips before quickly dashing forward with his good leg. Yato barely dodged the right jab as the red aura around her was slightly damaged by his fist. The man then feinted with his left fist causing her to block, leaving her stomach wide open for a right punch.

Yato skidded back from the blow, grinding the ground as she slid back. Vladimir shook his right hand after the hit, the hand feeling like it'd just met iron.

The girl smirked and patted her gut. "Abs are a girl's best friend: they're great to look at, and even better to have." Most fighters underestimated her due to the baggy clothing of the Rune Knight uniform hiding the hard muscles from years of physical training she had.

Vladimir ignored her words and began another assault. His punches barely missing her each time, chipping away at her red aura. This continued for minutes on end until her red aura was mostly depleted. The girl was beginning to crave more air in her lungs and sweated a bit harder. Her opponent meanwhile was still perfectly fine.

'Looks like I'll get to use that spell after all.' Yato adjusted her stance before Vladimir, at his fastest pace yet, smashed his right fist into her head. The red aura was completely broken now, leaving the girl without a defensive shield.

However, she widely smirked as her left hand tightly gripped Vladimir's left, audibly cracking the bones. She clenched her right hand, a shining gold aura covering it.

"Rising Dragon!" She drove the punch straight into the gut of Vladimir, her hand visibly sinking into his flesh. Violent cracking noises came from his rib cage shattering apart due to the awkward angle they were being bent at. The sounds of ripping flesh came from the man as the sheer force of the strike had cleaved him in two, his upper body smashing into the ceiling faster than a bullet. Vladimir's legs stumbled and collapsed onto the floor, his upper body imprinted into the ceiling.

Yato inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled to even out her breathing. It certainly didn't seem like the man was getting up from her strongest punch. From what she could see, his eyes had rolled into the back of his head and hir chest had ceased any movement. Blood rained from the pinned torso as his entrails barely remained from falling out. She was well aware of his absurd regeneration, but even the girl had to admit that her attack was clear overkill.

To make sure, she kept an eye on his motionless body halves for a solid minute. When no changes were noticed, she sighed in relief before she started to approach Matt. The poor boy was so petrified, he didn't even notice her kill the man just a moment ago.

"Hey. It's okay now. He's gone." She softly spoke as she approached the boy. "He won't hurt you anymo-"

Blood splashed onto Matt's face, making him turn his head to see Yato vomiting blood onto the skinless fist sticking through her torso.

"Silly girl. Nightmares never die." His sadistic smile widened as he removed his fist from her gut. Yato, with strength to impress even Heracles, kept standing. Blood covered her mouth and chin like a crimson curtain as her breaths were beyond strained.

From the corner of her eye she noticed the former ceiling decoration had been reduced to raw Ethernano, meaning that organic life was now dead. The only explanation her mind could come up with was Sacrifice: an aspect of magic normally forbidden upon. Sacrifice entails the user giving up something or someone to vastly increase the power of magic. The bigger the sacrifice, the greater the return. Vladimir had used this to ensure he wasn't reduced to a vegetable by Gildarts for the cost of the removal of half his bodies skin.

Vladimir smacked the girl onto the floor and began stomping her, painting the white hall red as sounds that a human body shouldn't make came from her mangled form.

'Is this truly how you wish for things to remain weakling?' A voice inside of Matt's head spoke. 'Do you wish to live in fear for the rest of this fickle life?"

'… n-no.' He weakly thought, his voice barely a whisper.

'Will you just sit back and allow those you care for to die?'

'O-Of course not! But that... that _thing_, it's unstoppable!'

The vocie scoffed. 'Do you truly believe that there exists anything that can not be killed? You may have the mental age of someone far beyond your physical age, but you are certainly as foolish as a child.' Matt didn't know why, but those words felt like an understatement.

'You are a human being. Your life is short. Everyone you know and love will die someday. All the things you treasure will eventually crumble to dust.' The voice spoke bluntly. 'However, why would you not fight to keep them as long as you can? Why would you simply let those things die and be taken from you because the world simply wants them to?'

'I-I…'

'Are you going to back down from protecting that which your heart feels so strongly towards all because of something as bland as fear?'

'What was it you said earlier? You are a greedy King that will take whatever makes him happy, which includes keeping the faces of those you care for happy? Did you fabricate those words out of thin air?'

'…No.' He thought clearly.

'Do you hate everyone you've come to know?'

'No.'

'Do you wish for them to die!?'

'No!'

'THEN HOLD YOUR HEAD HIGH IN DEFIANCE TOWARDS THESE BRITTLE CHAINS LABELED FATE. TAKE HOLD OF YOUR POWER AND SHATTER THEM. THEY DO NOT CONSTRAIN YOU! YOU ARE THE KING! THE ONLY FORCE THAT BINDS YOU IS YOURSELF! NOW RID YOURSELF OF THE SHACKLES OF FEAR AND FIGHT! FIGHT TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT!' The voice roared out to him.

Yato was held up by her neck. Her breaths shaky and barely there. Blood coated practically all her visible skin as her uniform was in tatters.

"I think that's enough of you." Vladimir sighed. "Time for the boy." Just as he went to turn towards Matt, a knife impaled itself into his skull and the mass he held in his hand was suddenly freed.

The girl weakly looked over to see herself in Matt's arms. His face obscured by shadow.

"m...att." Her voice was weak and hardly audible.

He wordlessly placed her down before turning. Kuriboh came out and started to heal her wounds.

"Just stay still and save your energy. I'll protect you." His eyes burned, not with anger, passion or determination. They burned with revenge.

"You'll protect her boy?" Vladimir pulled the knife from his head, small clumps of pink matter stuck to the blade. "It seems as though I'll have to remind you what fear is." He shattered the weapon in his hand.

'I'm so sorry Yato. Everyone. I was a coward who couldn't face the first taste of wrath this world threw his way. But no more.' He drew his knife from the sheath and placed it between his teeth. 'If I haven't the courage to face this devil, how could I ever have the courage to even consider a choice?!'

Matt sprinted at Vladimir and leapt into the air, throwing his knife at the man who caught it with his forearm, uncaring for physical damage.

"HAAAA!!" Matt roared as he heel kicked the knife. Using the momentum of that brief contact, he spun and kicked the man in the head with his other heel. Placing his hands on the ground, he spun his body to kick Vladimir right in the liver, audibly shattering his rib.

"MORE! SHOW ME MORE!!!" Vladimir yelled in ecstasy as Matt got to his feet. He threw a right hook at the man who took the hit. However the true goal was the knife.

With impressive strength, Matt ripped it straight down his forearm, severing the bone. The teen spun and successfully cut the throat of the man wide open. Blood shot out of the wound and covered the teen's face. His right hand shot out and grabbed the hair of Vladimir, shoving his head down towards the teens knee, breaking his nose.

Due the the massive build of the Mage, Matt easily stepped on his body with his right leg and kicked him square in the jaw with his left. The man's head threatened to fly off, the muscle, tendons and arteries in a state of being stretched, torn and healed as it shot back, carrying his body with it.

Matt chucked the knife straight into Vladimir's heart, dropped down and used a palm strike to send to blade straight through his torso.

'The kid's like a machine.' Yato watched on in awe. 'His offense is so ridiculous, that defense is completely pointless.'

The teen stepped back as Vladimir's wounds quickly healed and he began to dash around quick enough that only vague vestiges remained. Quickly realizing his eyes were useless here, Matt used his instincts instead. Because of this, he caught the attempted right punch from the man and threw him across the room by grabbing the limb.

He quickly summoned a blade and launched a wave of magical power at the man, shattering the wall to pieces and obscuring his opponent.

Matt breathed heavily as he closely observed the clearing dust, anticipating the form of the man, which was unfortunately not there when it settled.

'Shit! He already moved!'

He was struck with a hard punch, sending him to the floor. His body rolled for a moment before coming to a stop.

"Fool! Even if I'm reduced to a single drop of blood, my magic will heal me as long as I can make sacrifices! You can't kill me!" He beamed with glee as he approached the downed teen.

'Damn!' Yato attempted to get up but quickly found herself incapable of moving, the hole in her torso preventing such an action.

"Now die like a good boy you brat." Vladimir raised his leg. What he didn't notice were the small distortions right behind him that quickly shot out of the ground, impaling the man with swords.

Matt quickly got up and summoned a group of knives that shot out at the man. The wires attached to them sent hin crashing into a wall, bonded by the impossibly strong cable.

"So what you're telling me is that I can't leave even a single drop of blood?" Matt raised his right hand. "Then my victory is secured." The construct he forged was a simple katana by the look alone. "Then I'll burn you until your very soul is reduced to nothingness!" White-hot flames surged from the blade, pooling around the form of Matt as they came together into the shape of a mighty dragon. The heat was so strong that even God Serena would've begrudgingly praised the quality of these flames, Matt's emotions making their power truly remarkable. "NOW BURN!"

When Matt pointed the sword at Vladimir, the flame monster wordlessly engulfed the man ablaze as it consumed him with a charge. The man laughed at first, assuming that the attack would prove useless, that is until he visibly saw the cinders of his flesh be wiped from life itself.

Vladimir for the first time in his life, screamed in agonizing pain.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Bloody Murder would understate the esophagus-bleeding screams he let out as his body was incinerated without mercy. The sheer volume of magic energy being poured into the attack would've caused most mages to black out, but the seething rage of Matt proved to somehow eliminate this as a possibility.

After a long moment that felt like an eternity, all that proved Vladimir ever existed, was the permanent black shadow engrained into the wall where he took his last breath.

Matt exhaled as the blade in his hand disappeared, his gaze befell the prone woman, he quickly dashed over. He tightly gripped his fists and closed his eyes in frustration.

"You actually conquered your fear…" She smiled warmly at him, proud of his accomplishment. Kuriboh had healed the beating Vladimir gave her, except for the gaping wound in her stomach.

"It doesn't matter." He fell to his knees and hit the floor, cracking the stone effortlessly. "Because of my damn cowardice, I couldn't save you!" Tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes.

"It's fine. This is the path I chose." She reassured him. The woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a purple and white handkerchief. "Wipe your face off silly goose, can't go into the final battle looking like that."

Matt took the handkerchief and wiped his face off.

"I need you to do something for me." She weakly muttered.

The teen grasped her barely standing hand. "What is it?" His voice was shaky, but firm in its resolve.

"Tell my sister I'll always be there." She pointed at her heart. "And that… Big sis….. lo….v…….." The life escaped her eyes, the woman was robbed of finishing her final words.

Matt bit his lip as he still held her hand. After a moment, his body stopped shaking. He wiped the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes.

"Now is not the time for tears." He looked over at the blonde and used his hand to close her eyes. The teen looked at her peaceful expression and stood while clutching the cloth in his hand. "I'll finish this fight." He pocketed the Handkerchief and headed for the exit, the fires of determination filling his soul. His deck box glowed as a new addition came.

"For all of us."

* * *

With a quick movement of her arms to the pair, a white light shined around Hina and Jura. Increasing their speed and strength many times over as their magic cores cleared.

"Time for supper!" Hannibal screamed in joy as the ground in front of him shot out as a large mouth, the same attack that claimed Ken's life.

Hina jumped and heel kicked the appendage to the ground, breaking it effortlessly.

"Acid Rain!" Pietor had a magic circle appear above the duo.

"Iron Rock Wall!" Jura caused the ground to form a dome around the two, shielding them from the lethal magic. Jura could feel his magic coming out faster and far more efficiently. It was his his magic core had been polished and smoothed to perfection, allowing a far cleaner movement of his magic power.

"Stay out of this! They're my prey!" Hannibal threatened his partner.

"Silence worm!" He shot back, perfectly ready to kill the psychopath.

Jura took advantage of this discourse and had the ground around the two erupt. Hannibal dodged like a cat while Pietor took the brunt of the blow. The latter fell to the ground harshly while the former nimbly got to his feet and charged at Hina.

He made a critical error in trying to fight a highly trained solider in hand-to-hand however as a palm strike to his jaw broke some of his teeth with ease. Hina quickly began hitting the major vital spots of the human body. Liver, Kidneys, Lungs, Esophagus, Skull and Groin were all brutally assaulted, to anyone that wasn't a mage, this assault would permanently cripple them at best. The woman finished him with a mule kick that sent him flinging in the air into the wall.

Jura wordlessly looked at her momentarily. His expression a mix of shock over such a kind woman pulling such brutal moves and amazement that a healer was that skilled in non-weapon combat.

"Hehehe. So the cat has claws eh?" Hannibal weakly stood, spitting out a large glob of blood. "Too bad for you then that my magic massively amplifies my body's healing when I digest!"

The pair's expressions morphed to shock.

"Oh don't worry, your friend was dead when he entered my stomach. My magic crushed his body so he'd fit nice and snug in there." He patted his gut. "Though I am feeling pretty empty now, even more reason to enjoy supper!" The lunatic once again charged at Hina.

"Acid Cannon!" Pietor shouted as he stood back up. He hands joined together as a powerful stream of his deadly toxin was unleashed.

Jura immediately raised a series of pillars in front of him to guard. The acid quickly began to eat through the stone. Thinking fast, Jura manipulated one of the furthur back pillars into extending and smashing into the man.

Pietor quickly used one hand to split the attack, smirking confidently in his ability to divide his attacks into two. What wasn't so fortunate for him, was that attacking from multiple angles was a specialty of Jura.

Pietor coughed up blood from the newly twisted pillar smashing into his torso. Other pillars stretched and hit the man without mercy when his acid stopped. Jura wishing to make absolutely sure he'd stay down. The enhanced strength of his magic assisting this process immensely.

After a solid minute of beating the Acid Mage with his magic, the Dark Mage was unquestionably unconscious at best.

Jura turned his gaze over to see Hina still fighting Hannibal, the former dodging her strikes much better than before. Though he still couldn't squeeze in an offense whatsoever. All he'd managed was to graze her cheek with his finger. Though this did draw blood, it was a simple flesh wound all things considered.

The cannibal leapt back and rubbed his mouth to remove the blood leaking from it.

"Not bad." He looked over to see the unconscious form of Pietor before maliciously smiling and using his magic to devour the man.

Hina recoiled in shock with her hands over her mouth.

"You bastard! To your own comrade?!" Jura yelled at the psycho who was currently chewing. He let out a foul belch and rubbed his stomach.

"Blech! He tasted beyond sour, but went down pretty smoothly." The man once again licked his lips. "But that wasn't enough. I still hunger!" His face morphed into a sadistic smile. "And I know just where to get my next meal!" He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

"Ha!" Hina sharply inhaled and clutched her chest, her breathing fast and erratic.

"Hina-dono! What did you do?!" Jura roared at the man, the veins of his head bulging in fury.

"My magic allows me to create small portals to my stomach from anything I touch. These take the forms of mouths. And during our last scuffle…" He rubbed the blood on his fingernail.

Jura's face twisted into shock and horror as he understood what was happening. Hina's own blood was starting to devour her body from the inside.

Not wasting a moment, Jura immediately began to attack the man. Hoping that if he ended this fast enough, Hina would be able to heal herself in time.

"Too bad for you! But my magic doesn't require me to be stationary like that fool!" Hannibal exclaimed in glee as Jura's own pillars shot back at him with the new addition of a mouth fiercely snapping at the top of them.

The bald man blocked these with other pillars, turning the defending and offending pillars to rubble. He raised up the pieces of rock on the ground.

"Rock Avalanche!" The flying pieces of earth flew at the Cannibal, he attempted a dodge, but a well-hidden rock hit him in the back of the head for a momentary stun. The man was then swarmed by the merciless stone that caused a large terrestrial blast, engulfing his body.

However, Hina coughing up blood in large quantities told him the man was still going. Jura clicked his tongue and carefully observed his surroundings.

This unfortunately proved useless as a portion of his shoulder was bit into by the madman.

"GAH!" Jura yelled in pain as he lashed out at the cannibal.

"It's over! Time for supper!!" He snapped his fingers, and Jura felt his heart seize. The large men fell to a knee as he clutched his chest in pain.

Hannibal laughed like a madman as his opponents bodies literally ate themselves to death.

"HAAHAHAHA-" He suddenly stopped. The cannibals body began twitching violently. "AAARRRRGGGHHH!!!" He roared in pure agony as it felt like his organs were on fire. "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!" Rolling on the floor to try and fight the overwhelming pain proved fruitless. "DID I EAT SOMETHING BAD?!" That's when it hit him. Ken had casted a spell just before death. Insect Soul: Blister Beetle. A species of bettle that contain a poison that can kill horses in small quantities. And he had ingested a fully grown man who had the poison in his entire bloodstream.

"IT HURTS!!" Hannibal screamed as he began to claw at his neck in pain. The flesh being stripped off from how hard he was scratching. "MAKE IT STOP!!!" His hands and neck were now completely crimson as he had long since gotten though the skin. His feet kicked around in agony as his nerves felt ablaze. The only reason the man stopped screaming was because he'd torn out his own vocal cords. Eventually, after completely ripping off the first few inches of his throat, the man slumped over dead. A truly massive pool of blood filled the area around him.

Jura temporarily blacked out from his own case of bleeding out.

"I'm alive?" Jura questioned as he opened his eyes. He was certain his heart was done for after that. The weight on his torso gave him explanation. "Hina-dono… thank you." Jura told the girl that he assumed was asleep. However upon closer inspection, he saw she wasn't moving at all. "Hina-dono?!"

The man quickly laid her on her back and pressed his ear to her chest, a faint absurdly weak heartbeat was present. Jura sighed in relief, but said relief quickly morphed into concern. He wasn't sure how much the woman had healed herself before passing out, that could mean she was still heavily injured.

Jura's fist clenched tightly enough to draw blood as there was nothing he could do except press on and end this as soon as possible. He quickly placed a powerful stone barrier around her, a contingency in the event of the island being devastated by the coming battle.

Wordlessly, the bald man pressed ahead, the fire inside hotter than ever.

* * *

"RAH!" Cosmo threw a chunk of the ground he lifted up at Rasputin.

"Hmph." The man didn't even move as dozens of spike impaled the thrown earth, stopping it in its tracks.

"Be careful Cosmo! This guy can turn anything he touches into a stabbing instrument!" Yoru warned the Fish Man as she threw some knives at the dark mage.

Rasputin also easily caught the thrown blades with his fingers, a confident smirk finding it's way to his face.

As the pair threw weapons and rubble at Rasputin, he didn't move from his spot at all as he caught and broke the projectiles with his magic and hands.

"This isn't working!" Cosmo shouted in frustration. "To hell with it!" He began to charge at the man.

"Foolish child." He mused as a spike shot up from the ground and though Cosmo's foot, causing him to yell in pain.

"Cosmo!" Yoru yelled in concern.

The fish man however grit his teeth and charged through, breaking the spike with raw strength.

"Hoh? This body of yours is quite durable then." A sadistic grin made it's way to the Priest's face. "Then I'll enjoy myself a bit."

He leapt up to the air as Cosmo barreled into where he was formerly standing. The ceiling morphing into spikes that shot down to impale the Mage. To the surprise of Rasputin, his spikes broke on the hard scales of Cosmo's back.

While he was surprised over seeing that for the first time, Yoru capitalized and kicked him into a wall. The surface cratered from the impact, but quickly morphed into more spikes to try and kill the woman. She easily dodged them due to her impressive speed and landed back onto the ground.

Rasputin pulled himself back onto the floor and wiped his mouth.

"It seems as though I'll have to get serious against you two." He took an odd combat stance.

'The hell is that stance? Never seen anything like it.' Cosmo readied himself for the next attack.

Like lightning, Rasputin was immediately in front of the fish and cocking a punch.

'Idiot! Not even that Sol or Aria have broken these scales!' Cosmo smirked confidently.

"Cosmo! Dodge!" Yoru warned the young man as she realized what was happening.

It was too late though as Rasputin's fist implanted itself into the body of Cosmo, his scales twisted with the Priest's hand. His body was launched back like a bullet, smashing into the wall and making him spew out blood from his mouth.

"Damn!" Yoru went to attack but found herself imprisoned by spikes on all sides. The woman went to kick open the barrier, but was stopped.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you." The Priest mused. "Those spikes put the strength of steel to shame and will lash out should you attack them. The only way to dispel them is for me to lose my concentration. Which many have tried, but failed to do."

Cosmo hacked up blood. 'The hell was that?! Did he use his magic to pierce though my scales?!' Cosmo felt the spot he'd been hit at to find no visible wound. But the area ached awfully. 'He can turn anything he touches into a spike.' The Mage stood on his own feet again. 'He used my own damn blood?! This guy is dangerous. I can't get hit by him. But…' He gazed over to the imprisoned Yoru. 'I sure as hell can't beat him alone.' He realized what he had to do in that moment.

"So what shall you do Young Man? Will you run? Or will you die a pointless death?" Rasputin taunted him.

"Heh. If I run back home Dad'll kill me anyways. And there's no way in hell you're worse than him." He bitterly laughed. "So I'm gonna kick your ass just like he would want me to!"

He charged the Priest with a roar.

"So that's your answer then." A grin found its way on to his face. "Then die like all the others."

Cosmo dodged the spikes shooting up from the floor narrowly. Using his enhanced instinct to warn him of when the weaker scales of his feet were threatened. Upon getting close, Rasputin easily dodged the slow and heavy attacks of Cosmo.

'Damn! I need him to stay still!' Cosmo charged forward at him. 'I know how to do it, but it'll suck.'

Cosmo kept his charge going as Rasputin remained unhittable.

"If this is all you can do then I tire of you." The man frowned as he once again impaled Cosmo's feet with spikes.

Cosmo cried out in pain as he clutched the stone, keeping himself upright.

Rasputin, once again quickly hopped over to the man and went to use the same punch that wounded him so painfully before.

'NOW!'

Cosmo lowered his head to take the hit. Too late to stop, Rasputin's fist hit the immensely hard skull of the man, vile cracking noises came from his now shattered hand.

"GRH!" He grit his teeth in pain and hopped back. His hand limply hung off the wrist.

Blood leaked down Cosmo's head as he looked up with a smirk.

"Got ya."

"Fool. Disabling one hand means nothing." The older man chided the youths ineptitude with a scowl.

"Who said that's what I'm aiming for?"

The Priest's eyes widened.

"These tendrils are more than just makeshift hair y'know? Ever hear about the Box Jellyfish?"

Rasputin's expression immediately turned to his arm. Without hesitation he severed it with a spike, stunning the other two in the room.

"He cast off his arm just like that?!" Yoru shouted in shock.

The man doubled over in pain as he clutched the stump that used to be his right arm. His expression was now one of pure rage.

"AAAAGH!" Cosmo's hands were impaled on spikes that shout out from the ones he still absentmindedly hung on to, trapping him in place.

"Cosmo!" Yoru cried out, "That's it!" She reeled her leg back to kick through the spikes.

"Wait!" The man cried out in pain. "Don't waste your health on me Yoru. The others… they'll need you as close to 100% as possible against that freak."

"Don't talk like that you damn fool!" She chided the mage.

"Heh. Yeah, I am a damn fool, but this fool also knows how useless he is against opponents like that monster. I'm completely worthless against him, but you aren't."

"Cosmo…"

"But even so…" He bit his lip in anger, "A damn fool like me still has his pride! So it's alright if I wanna be useful too right?! It's alright if I wanna prove I can fight too right?!"

Once he'd recovered, Rasputin kicked the man in the back as hard as he could. Though this was also a mistake as he felt tons of sharp stabs in his shin.

"What?!"

"Sea Urchin spikes. Nasty stuff." Cosmo grit his teeth as he spoke, his wounds causing clear excruciating pain.

Rasputin ripped his leg from the Fish Man's back, his flesh being torn apart by the barbed spikes. Both of his right limbs were now disabled permanently.

'This is a war of attrition. This comes down to whoever bleeds out first.' Yoru clutched her fist at her own uselessness.

Cosmo tried to break free of the spikes, but the awkward angle his body was at made gathering the neccessary strength hard.

'Well there go my two trump cards. I can't hit him either… which means I only got one option left.' Cosmo's gaze turned downcast at the revelation of his next move.

"Die!" Rasptutin had more spikes impale the Mage's feet.

He yelled in pain at his feet were shredded by the weapons.

'BEAR IT! BEAR IT YOU DAMN FOOL!!!' He mentally roared at himself.

Frustrated at the lack of dying from his opponent, Rasputin summoned a spike into his hand. And hobbled his way in front of Cosmo.

"This is the end." Rasputin drove the spear into the chest of the Mage. Blood poured from the wound by the pint as his insides were shredded, multiple spikes shooting out of his body and blending his organs. Just as Rasputin let his guard down though, Cosmo summoned the last of his strength and bit deeply into the neck of the Priest, his sharp teeth ripping and tearing the tender flesh asunder.

The dark mage couldn't even speak, gurgles escaped from the holes in his throat as blood filled his lungs. Both mages fell to the floor as their magic dispelled.

The prison around Yoru collapsed as she immediately ran to the Mage who had transformed back to normal. She turned the boy over to see him practically eviscerated. While she'd seen worse, this image would stick with the woman for years.

"Did I... do him proud?" Cosmo weakly wheezed out.

"Yes. Your father would be very proud of you." She reassured him with the same fake smile she gave to everyone she held in her arms as they died.

"Good.… I'm so…. ha…" The life left his eyes as the mutal destruction was complete. Yoru brushed her hand over his eyes to close them.

She gave a silent prayer as she stood and walked towards her goal, the desire for victory stronger than ever.

* * *

"Fire Devil's Rage!" A powerful stream of flame shot from Kaiser's mouth at Jellal who jumped over the attack and used Meteor to try and counterattack.

The corrupt priest easily dodged the attack and grabbed the teen by his ankle, slamming him into the floor. As he went for the second slam, a powerful jet of water collided with his head, forcing him to let go of the younger mage.

Jellal quickly got to his feet and unleashed a torrent of water attacks at the Devil Slayer. However all his attempts ended with the water being turned to steam from the heat of the man's flames.

"Come on now!" He quickly ran up to the teen. "You can do better!" The blue-haired teen barely dodged the series of hits going his way.

Batou stood in his Iaido stance, however Ultear was having none of that, forcing the ceiling above him to collapse. The Swordsman remains vigilant however, and faster than the girl could see, cut the falling debris apart without moving from his current spot.

Ultear decided to send her orb out to attack. When the Swordsman cut it in two and paid no mind, the girl smirked as the ball came back and hit his head.

Batou rolled forward as blood dripped from his head and marked the ground, however he had used this roll to dash forward in order to attack. Knowing he was likely to go for her head, Ultear caused the ground beneath her to collapse partially, making the sword barely miss the decapitation.

The orb Ultear used flew at the man and suddenly split into many copies. Batou took some blunt hits and successfully neutralized others. He slid back on the ground with blood dripping from the corner of this mouth, glaring at the girl.

"Damn you!" Jellal yelled as he lifted the earth and threw it at Kaiser. The older man easily dodged the hunks of rock and charged at Jellal again.

"I've fought Demons child! You're nothing compared to them!" Fire ignited on the foot of Kaiser as Jellal barely dodged an axe kick that shattered the ground.

'This bastard has insane reaction times. Nothing I use can hit him! I have the firepower to take him out, but I need him to hold still…' Jellal was cursing his undermining of this task. He would've come in-person if he knew this would prove as difficult as it was. But then again, victory for him at the end wouldn't taste as sweet if he didn't overcome obstacles such as these!

"Heavenly Body Magic: Pleiades!" Six rays of light fell from the sky to bombard Kaiser.

"Not too shabby! But you'll need more than that!" The smoke cleared as Kaiser couldn't find his opponent.

A kick to the back of his head made the man turn to see Jellal using Meteor to sneak attack him. After the kick he ran off with Kaiser giving chase. Little did the demon slayer know, he'd fallen into Jellal's trap.

Ultear blocked the sword slash from Batou with her orb once again. She was struggling due to the man's newfound diligence around her. His stamina was impressive, so the girl was trying to see the gap in his offense.

Figuring out what needed to be done to secure the win was easy, the hard part was executing it. Thankfully for the girl, she had just the right idea in mind.

Ultear summoned a large number of spheres and launched them all at the swordsman who easily cut them down, to his surprise, the shards of the spheres defied gravity and stayed afloat. Batou's vision was cut off in the psuedo house of mirrors, making an offense much harder.

His eye saw the girl's reflection, Batou immediately swinging that way, only to be met with nothing but air. Ultear grazed the stationary blade with her hand, causing it to quickly rust and crumble apart before the man could react.

"?!" Batou was too late to notice the girl rendering his blade useless, though his ability to fight wasn't entirely hampered, his temporary shock was all Ultear needed to secure her victory.

The countless shards of sharp glass turned inwards and when the attack was done, Batou closer resembled a crystal hedgehog than anything human.

"Allow my flames to cleanse you!" Kaiser yelled at Jellal who was flying away from him.

"Fire Devil's Eclipse!" Two massive spheres of fire emerged from Kaiser's palms, he then smacked them together with Jellal stuck in between them.

Instead of crying in pain though, the teen smirked.

"I made it."

Kaiser quickly looked up to see seven magic circles on the ceiling all connecting into a shape.

"Be judged by the Seven Stars! Grand Chariot!" The magic circles had powerful streams of light smash into Kaiser.

He screamed in pain as an explosion engulfed him and most of the room, the close earth rumbling from the force of the attack.

Jellal shakily stood with heavy breathes.

"Bastard. Pushed me harder than I would've liked." A slight annoyed anger rose up within the boy.

"Not. Yet." Jellal's eyes widened as he saw Kaiser still standing. He was covered in wounds and bleeding heavily. "Fire Devil's Epicen-" His head was rendered into a gooey mess with Ultear's sphere.

"Must you always make such a mess?" Jellal sarcastically chided the girl.

"What? It's not like you live here." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Fair enough." He shrugged as the pair walked forward towards the final battle.

* * *

At the end of the next hallway was a door. Matt opened it to reveal something akin to an elevator. Likely something powered by special Lacrima. He pushed the highest numbered button and felt the steel tomb rise up.

The ride took around a minute as he could tell it was a long way up to where Lucius was.

Matt scowled as he remembered their last fight. How Lucius wasn't even trying and still almost killed the teen on accident.

'Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.' Matt's fist clenched tightly. He will find the weakness in that bastards magic. No magic exists without weakness. All he has to do is think a bit outside the box.

The dinging of the elevator and the door opening ushered the teen out. He was currently in a T-shaped hallway with three other elevator doors next to his own.

"Doesn't look like anyone else is done fighting yet." Matt sighed as he realized he'd be on the chopping block first.

The tapping of glass caught his ear as Matt saw an odd three-legged crow looking at him.

"The hell?" He walked over and opened the window, the bird began dry heaving until it coughed up a small wad of paper.

"Gee. Thanks." He dryly thanked the bird who disappeared in a puff of light. The teen opened the paper to reveal a simple, one-word message inked in blood.

"Synchronize."

Matt scowled as he recognized the handwriting to be Sarutobi's based on the Watch Duty log for the ship.

"This must've been his dying message. Could this be…" Matt pocketed the paper and closed his eyes, thanking Sarutobi for the final piece of advice to beat that bastard for good.

His eyes reopened with that earlier fire as he walked down the long hallway leading to the end of this mission.

He gazed at the large door for a moment before kicking it open.

"Oh honey, I'm home!" Matt shouted out as his target sat in front of him in the room, his back to various flashing red lights.

"Good to see you made it my dear King. I would've been disappointed if the best challenge slipped between my fingers once again." Lucius smiled at the teen.

"Before we get started with killing each other, I wanna know why." Matt asked the older man.

"Why huh?" Lucius looked up as he thought about his answer. "Allow me to tell you a fact about myself: I adore history. I love culture. Years and years of being denied knowledge made me wish to devour it when I had to opportunity. As I read through countless books of history and visited many important sights of battles, homes and the like, something rather worrisome dawned upon me. History goes through two cycles: change and repeat." He raised two fingers at the teen.

"The latter is self-explanatory: those who do not understand history are doomed to repeat it. As for the former: therein lies the problem. The world changes, that is an absolute. Technology improves, magic knowledge becomes more vast, we discover new methods to improve the governments of the world. However, change takes time, lots and lots of time. Years, decades, even centuries in the case of the war between humans and dragons." Lucius let out a chortle.

"As you've clearly seen, I am a strong man. However not all men are born equal, not all of us are as strong and durable. Did you know the average life expectancy for a Boscon slave is a measly fifteen years? Now imagine the decades and decades of change needed for the world to peacefully bring about the end of slavery without potential economic turmoil. Tell me: how many innocent lives would perish in that time? A thousand? A million? Ten million perhaps? So many men, women and children killed before they could see how amazing this world could be, all because those in power are far too afraid to take action, or simply don't care." His fists clenched tightly as anger bubbled to the surface.

"So what? Your big plan is to fight against an entire country by yourself? No… that doesn't line up." Matt put a hand to his chin in thought.

"Ah, the dark mages of Naraka are hindering that." He chuckled. "It's true that they are brothers and sisters of we mages." His eyes gained deep shadows over them. "But I can not ignore the fact that they were part of the problem as to why those wretched dogs of the Council refuse to take action. So preoccupied on the ecstasy of their unhinged minds that they senselessly destroy, how repulsive." He spat out in anger.

"So what? You brought them here to die?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. The ultimate answer of that serves no purpose." He shrugged.

"Earlier you mentioned how history is doomed to repeat itself by those who don't understand it. What's to say the people you wish to liberate won't just become the monster's they despise so much?"

"Ah, the hitch of my plan. How cold of you to mention it so callously." He lightly chuckled. "Indeed, even I do not know how they'll fare with the option of freedom. Many of them have nothing to cling to in order to ground them, I may even ultimately start up a war in my efforts... but." His gaze hardened. "I have to try. It's a risk I must take. No one deserves that kind of treatment, no one deserves that cruel of a fate. Regardless of the consequences, I must… no, I _will_ liberate the innocents." His gaze filled with a resolve not dissimilar to Matt's own.

"You don't have a damn right to preach about protecting the innocents when all the innocent men and woman of this island are dead." Matt glared at the man whose expression turned downcast.

"… I do apologize for that, truly. I've learned something valuable over all of this, that no matter how much power one has, protecting everyone is simply impossible."

Matt cocked a brow at the somewhat contradictory nature of that statement.

"I must truly thank you King. Everything has fallen in place perfectly as I gaze into your eyes. All that's left, is for this game to reach its conclusion."

"This was all a damn game to you?!"

"All the world's a stage, and we are merely the players... I always hated that quote." A bitter laugh came from the former slave.

"Enough talk, all that needs to have been said has been spoken." Lucius outstretched his arm to Matt.

"Now we allow fate to decide the victor."

**The final battle is closely upon us.**

**Welcome back everyone to another chapter of I Don't Know What the Fuck I'm Doing.**

**So this chapter was uh... pretty gnarly to say the least. I've written some brutal stuff for this story before, what with Matt's early beatings and Lucius' introduction, but this was definitely the farthest I've gone. Don't worry I won't be getting thus bad again for a bit.**

**So Vladimir is dead. I'm not even doing that thing of "Oooooo I say he's dead but he's secretly not~". No that man's ashes are ashes, he's dead. Unfortunately, so is Yato. She was definitely one that hurt to axe since she's just fun to write, but it was a neccessary evil I needed to execute for Matt's growth. Needless to say, Matt's conquered his fears and has a new partner just in the nick of time.**

**Ken did ultimately get the last laugh with this fight. Originally I was planning on killing Hina, but during my short break I thought it over and decided to keep her around. There's definitely some things I can do with her down the line I'm game for trying.**

**Cosmo's death was pretty predictable honestly. Considering how I mentioned he'd play a role in changing canon in some way and given that I killed Ken and Sarutobi, it shouldn't have been a surprise really. I'm sure some of you will be interested to see how I change the Phantom Lord arc with this... I mean outside of the very obvious context of a grieving father of course.**

**Lucius' and Matt's conversation was entirely rewritten from the original draft. All of the pieces are laid out now for what he has in mind. I won't give any hints since you'll literally find out next week. Needless to say, the final battle will be something. It's probably the most over-the-top "anime" fight I'm gonna do in pre-canon outside of maybe one other which is literally the last fight before canon. So if you like that, get excited. If not, cower in fear and skim through the non-dialogue parts.**

**Yeah I got nothing else to say really. Next week is the last chapter before the epilogue. I got a lot of thoughts running around in my head I wanna get out there for the epilogue AN since this arc represents a lot for both the story and my writing, and not necessarily in the most positive manner. I'll get to that then.**

**Until next time, I bid you all adieu.**


	25. Author of Fate

**Hello there dear readers! We got the usual here before we get started!**

**xPricefieldx: **I get what you mean, but you also gotta consider the fact he pulled that stunt twice on Matt. Matt basically strangled him to death on top of probably caving in his skull the first time, and the second time Matt blew him to hell in an explosion he literally walked off. Matt was confident he wouldn't walk off either back then, and yet he did. He probably would've warned Yato about his inhuman regeneration if he wasn't petrified in terror.

**Eluvian Camaris: **Sarutobi's death and Ultear's talk were moreso the push Matt needed to actually take this shit seriously. Most of the arc has just been him not actually going all out, dicking around, saying how he didn't like the council, etc, etc. Yato dying was very different though since that's the first time Matt has _seen_ someone he knew, someone he liked die. He didn't blame himself for Sarutobi dying because it wasn't 100% on him, everyone fucked up in that brawl and everyone made mistakes, Matt just wasn't used to making big mistakes.

Yato's death was 100% on Matt, it's easily the biggest fuck-up he's made this entire story. All the blame can be solely pinned on him, and how that effects him will have to be seen down the line.

**Alright, with all of that done, please! Enjoy the finale to this arc!**

The Monkey King smirked as he smacked away one man with a kick and flipped over another with his staff, his feet cracking the heads of two unfortunate men nearby as he landed.

"C'mon! Show me what you all got!" He cried out in glee as the remaining forces of fodder charged.

'Tell me Sarutobi, is this what you fought for?' He thought as his tail smacked a man's face. 'Is a future where everyone is against each other all that you believe will happen?'

"No." A young man with short brown hair stared at the lazy Monkey resting on his throne. "I know that I don't have the ability to change the world. But I know that some day, someone will come along who can. Some day, a person that can unite everyone will come!"

"And yet instead of assisting that person, you stand as a member of the Rune Knights. Loyal dogs to men who can easily be bought and swayed. Men who oppose the change you speak of." The Monkey chided the youth.

"Be that as it may, I'll still fight in my own way. I'll make sure that anyone under me will not give in to the easy temptations. Justice may be blind, but that doesn't mean the men who place the judged on her scales are!"

"You speak with youthful ignorance, but tell me: why fight at all? If you believe someone else can do it, why bother? You can settle down with a beautiful woman or five and raise a family." The monkey picked his ear with his pinky.

Sarutobi chuckled bitterly, "Unfortunately the path I wish to walk doesn't allow for such commodity. Even if the world doesn't change in my lifetime, even if everything I do gets undone…" He fists clenched tightly shut. "I still have to try!"

"What? So you intend to live on your feet and die on your knees? You really are just a kid." The spirit scoffed.

"No." He bluntness made the Monkey look over, "I'll live and die on my feet. If I intend to protect others, then I can't allow this world to break me! No matter the setbacks or consequences of my actions, I'll push forward. Not because it's what I think I should do. It's because I know it's what I need to do." The fire in Sarutobi's eyes caused the spirit to falter for a moment.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" The monkey howled in laughter. "Alright then kid! I'll see it through to the end! Then I get to laugh at ya when you fuck up!" He grinned widely as the two shook hands.

'He reminds me of you ya know.' The monkey smirked as he wiped the blood off his cheek. 'That fire in his eyes is just like yours.' His staff twirled at impossible speeds and smacked away a group of mages. 'Maybe. Just _maybe_. He's the one you were talking about all those years ago.'

The monkey's train of thought was interrupted as the collapsing tower he and his foes were right in front of crumbled to the ground.

* * *

Matt scowled at the cause of all of this in front of him as the mage summoned a pair of swords above his shoulders. The blades shot out at the former slave at blinding speeds.

"This again?" Lucius sighed and went to repell them just like before.

This was not quite the plan however, as Matt shot knives at the blades, altering their trajectory enough for the contact point with Lucius' magic to miss.

A new knife was thrown from Matt's hand at the man who moved his head to the side.

Matt scowled at the sudden dodge and continued to fire blades at the man, using the same tactic to avoid the swords being thrown back at him or ricocheted around the room.

Said room became littered with swords impaled into the walls and ceiling, sparks flying off the control consoles. Lucius sighed and placed his hands in his pockets.

"I know you can do better than this."

Matt smirked to the man's surprise.

"Who's to say I haven't been doing that already?"

Before the older man could answer, Matt raised a knife and swung it. Lucius raised a brow at the action, but the sudden sounds of wire being strained caught his ears.

Suddenly he felt his arms bind to his body, his legs split apart at odd angles and his airflow cut off.

'Did all those blades have wires connecting them?!' He slightly panicked as the ability to breathe was stripped from him.

Without wasting a second, Matt charged at the man with those two short swords of his. A vein bulged on Lucius' head as his magic repelled and broke all the wires. The teen was sent flying and collided with the ground with a roll.

Lucius went to speak to the teen, but lost his words when he couldn't understand the euphoric smirk on Matt's face was there. That's when he heard it.

**Drip**

'No.'

**Drip Drip**

Lucius slowly turned his head to the right.

**Drip Drip Drip**

One of those short swords was now impaled into his arm. It wasn't a major wound, the blade only about a half-inch in, but Matt had done it. He figured out the weakness.

"Man, talk about an annoying weakness to figure out." Matt stood and wiped the corner of his mouth.

"Your magic repels attacks with the exact neccessary force it comes at you with. That means if something of greater of lesser force hits you too suddenly after a repel, your magic can't counter it. No, I should say you can't figure out the neccessary amount of needed magic to counter it. I had to synchronize my attacks to cancel your initial repel and use that slim window to attack with something harder or softer."

That's why his wire attack worked yesterday. The man's magic was already set to Matt's direct attacks. Not a wire being shot out and exposed to much harsher wind resistance than solid metal.

"GAAAAHHHHH!!!" Lucius, surprising Matt, screamed and hollered in agony from the wound. Falling to the floor and rolling around, Lucius started kicking his feet out in pain.

'Is he that unused to physical pain? Or is it a psychological reaction?' The teen's eyes twitched in nervousness at the new side of the normally collected man.

Suddenly the screaming stopped as Lucius just stopped moving entirely, not even breathing. He silently stood and pulled out the blade, dropping it to the floor before deeply inhaling and exhaling.

"My sincerest apologies for that unsightly display. I hadn't expected to be wounded after all these years." The man sounded sincere in his apology, but also somewhat exhilarated that the teen had found his fatal flaw.

Matt remained silent as the man did this. His observational skills being used to their highest ability to try and figure out the man in front of him, but to ultimately no avail.

"Now then, how about your remaining allies join us instead of hiding in the hall. Quite rude to have one individual fight me while the rest watch." His usual jovial demeanor returned from what it once was.

"I'd say it was more having faith in him than leaving the kid to the sharks." Yoru smirked as she walked next to Matt.

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence "fearless leader"." The teen rolled his eyes.

"I apologize Matt-dono, but I assure you we would've rushed in if things got bad." Jura apologized as he stood with his comrades.

"Aw, did you miss me already?" Ultear teased the boy as she walked in.

"Don't know, ask me in another five years." His words caused Ultear to pout a bit.

"He is a strong opponent y'know. Nothing bad about wanting good Intel before going in." Siegrain shrugged as he finished off the group.

These five are all that remains of the initial group of ten.

"Looks like everyone is here." Lucius clapped his hands together. "How wonderful."

"Jura and Ultear stay back and bombard him. Yoru, Siegrain and I will be the main attackers." Matt instructed the group who all nodded in response.

"Hoh? Telling your enemy the attack plan right in front of him. Awfully confident aren't you?" The green-haired man teased the teen.

"Nope." Matt popped the p. "We just wanna kick your ass rea~ly badly."

As he finished speaking, Yoru immediately appeared in front of the man and went for a kick. As she was repelled, Siegrain charged forward with Metor. Lucius dodged the bluenette as Matt swung a blade swirling with energy at him.

Lucius raised his arm and pushed the blade away into the ceiling. Matt held on and spun midair, he kicked off the ceiling in a smooth motion and continued the attack.

"Useless-" As Lucius spoke, the floor beneath him audibly cracked, causing his gaze to shoot downwards.

"Go to hell!" The obscenely potent magical attack crashed into the man.

Ultear and Jura had combined their magics to make the floor directly beneath the man extremely brittle. Lucius was smashed through dozens and dozens of floors by the attack as a pillar of smoke emitted from the hole.

"Did that do him in?" Ultear walked over to the hole.

"Somehow, I think we're far from done." Yoru scowled, her sharply trained gut not letting up on the danger level.

The building then suddenly began to shake violently. Cracks quickly spread all over the remaining glass panels of the room and the support pillars.

"Oh shit." Matt realized what was happening. "We need to get to the ground. Now!"

"Why?!" Siegrain stumbled as the building was now rumbling at an immense level, causing the group to nearly fall.

"Because that bastard is gonna bring the whole building down!"

Everyone realized the weight of those words as Matt quickly ran over to the nearest window. He grabbed a nearby chair threw it at the already weakened glass, shattering it easily.

"Come on!" He waved the other four over and summoned Red-Eyes. The Fairy Tail Mage hopped on to his dragon, soon the others followed suit as the building quickly toppled to the ground. A pillar of dust almost as high as it was kicked up into the air.

"I think all we did was piss him off." Ultear spoke in legitimate shock over this absurd display of power.

"Okay, does anyone have some kind of mega attack that could maybe take him out in one hit?" Matt spoke as the dragon circled around the remnants of the building.

"I think I do. But I need time to set it up." Siegrain nodded to the slightly older boy.

"Alright then, let's get to planing."

* * *

Lucius dusted himself off after removing that key tower. It was certainly integral to his plans, but he was past the need for it. The local media would handle the rest of the hard work if all went accordingly.

"Now then young hounds of the Council, how will you play your next hand?" He smirked and gazed up at the circling dragon above. It was just about nighttime by now, so the setting sun was elongating every shadow considerably, especially that of the toppled building and walls. Almost the entire city was blanketed in shade by now.

After a few minutes, the black dragon descended with the five jumping off of it and to the ground.

Matt immediately shot out a volley of swords at the man who repeated the same song and dance the duo had been doing. Except now wires were pointless since he knew how Matt used them. A change of strategy from the teen is what he expected.

As this was happening, Jura landed and began using his magic to propel large boulders at Lucius, the already broken earth serving as optimal ammunition. The man in question began dodging them manually. Even when the massive stone pillars shot up from the ground, he kept himself safe just with his physical abilities.

Though that proved much harder when the duo of Siegrain and Yoru began using these pillars as springs to launch themselves at him, making sure to hit at differing power levels each time and to follow the others attack immediately after. Every time Lucius knocked a pillar down in a dodged attack, it'd immediately reset itself. The earth furthur obscuring his vision of the mages causing this nuisance.

Through this method, wounds started appearing on his body. Simple cuts mind you, but these simple cuts were also some of the first wounds he's had in years. And much like a germaphobe being sick, his abstinence from pain made it all the worse.

Lucius hissed in pain as the speedy duo began to tear his flesh apart like a shredder.

'So they aim to kill eh?' He smirked. 'Good. Very good. However, they can't be the ones with that privilege.'

That's when he realized something, if Jura and Ultear were handling the pillars while Yoru and Siegrain did the attacking. Where was Matt?

"Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The man's eyes widened as the ground beneath him erupted with silver petals. They carved into his flesh even more ruthlessly than the other two. He felt his body rise up with the ground beneath him.

"Not bad! But useless nonetheless!" He repelled the ones below him.

"I wouldn't say that." Matt smirked from the ground. As he had the torrent beneath the man at regular speed. The teen moved his hand and sent a different flood of the butchering petals above the man.

'Shit! Those can get faster?!' Lucius clicked his tongue.

"Heavenly Divide!" The greenette shouted as an immense force dispersed the flower petals around him.

To his shock, they then dispelled as Matt threw a series of thin blades at him. Like all the others, they were pushed away without issue.

The teen then dashed over to the man with another blade coated in his own magic power.

"Not this time!" Lucius' magic redirected the purple wave of magic power that came from the sword into the large tower's remains.

Siegrain managed to get in a good kick to the man's back while he was distracted, a solid cracking noise coming from the now broken rib. The pain was beginning to dull his concentration and awareness. After this, the bluenette was spontaneously pushed by Lucius' magic into a nearby building.

"Eat this!" Matt screamed as he fired off a volley of Cadabolg II arrows at Lucius.

Even with his redirecting and his position in the air, the man was still hit by the hot rubble the explosions kicked up everywhere. This once again proved enough of a distraction for Yoru to wrap her arms around the man's torso. They then began to fall towards the earth, spinning like a drill courtesy of woman.

'Oh crap!'

"Inazuma Drop!"

At the last possible second, she released the man and the earth itself gave way for his dunked body. Large slabs of broken ground shot up like shattered glass.

She landed with a flip and kept her gaze locked at the man. To no one's shock, Lucius stood back up after a moment. His head bleeding from that last attack, but more than capable of continuing the fight.

There was no time for him to attack as Matt charged him from behind. The man opting to manually dodge the sword swings. Jura got in on the action as he caused a pillar to smash into the back of Lucius. Though the damage was mitigated through minor applications of his magic, the man now needing to conserve magic power if he wanted that special part of his plan to be enjoyable.

Jura ran forward with Matt, each man flanking a different side of Lucius. He chucked a knife at the antagonist who easily dodged by moving his head. The Dark Mage then got in a horse stance with both palms facing Matt and Jura, and just as they were within touching distance.

"Almighty Gust!"

Matt and Jura were immediately pushed away. Lucius would've smirked, if not for the chains now binding his arms tightly to his body.

'When?!' The man soon realized Matt's knife throw was actually him passing a chain to the man.

"Haaaa!" Yoru roared as she closed in on him.

"Foolish girl, I already know how to repel you!" He cried our confidently.

"Wind Goddess Mode!" Powerful gusts of wind wrapped around her limbs like an armor and massively amplified her speed and attacking power. If one were to touch these winds, it'd be like sticking your hand into a blender.

Faster than a blink, Yoru was bombarding the man with punches that didn't even need to hit him. The sheer force of them causing the ground to shatter apart and smash into him.

The chains firmly held by Matt and Jura fell limp after the onslaught. This backfired though as they were suddenly pulled quite quickly. The two smashed into Yoru and were all immediately sent through a nearby wall with a swing.

"Nice trick. But unfortunately it won't be enough to kill me." Lucius wiped some blood out of his eye with a grin.

Matt kicked up a large slab of rubble and shakily stood, dusting himself off.

"Oh. I know that." He spoke bluntly between his quick breathes to the confusion of the man.

"What do you-" Lucius was seemingly interrupted by no one except himself. He couldn't move a single muscle in his body for some reason.

"Oh? What's the matter? Can't move big guy?" Matt smirked as Ultear quickly ran over to them.

Lucius saw this and looked around with only his eyes, only to realize he'd played right into their hands. Atop the pillars from earlier were large shards of glass that he'd broke by repelling Matt's attack into the building.

'That means...!' Lucius had heard Matt used blades that could bind people if they touched their shadows. 'They redirected the sunlight so my shadow would hit one!'

"Do it now Siegrain!" Matt shouted at the other teen who was currently atop the building he'd been so rudely smashed into.

The bluenette's stance widened as both his hands pointed downwards. As he raised his right arm, a massive black cloud formed above Lucius' head, unfortunately they only meant the man's shadow became bigger.

"True Heavenly Body Magic: Sema!" He shouted, causing a meteor to be shot from the center of this cloud.

Jura quickly put up a strong rock wall to shield the quartet from the resulting massive explosion and hurricane-like winds it kicked up. The island rumbled from the sheer force of the meteor diving into it.

After a moment, it settled into an eerie silence. Matt poked his head out from around the wall. At the bottom of quite the impressive crater, was the limp form of Lucius, his clothes shredded.

The teen scowled and slowly slid down the crater before landing next to the man. Matt saw he was still barely breathing and pulled out a sword to end this for good.

"Mother!" A young boy with messy green hair and tattered clothes approached a woman in the middle of a large ditch. His feet covered in mud as the torrent of rain practically flooded the land.

"Ah, my sweet sweet Carlo." Her voice was coarse and would make any listeners own throat hurt. She gestured for her son to come closer, the bullet wounds in her body staining her ruined maid uniform an unsightly red.

Her usefulness to her owner had been outlived with her body now a withered husk that could no longer work or bring pleasure.

He dare not hold her hand out of fear of it falling off or even shattering like porcelain. Her frailness at the level in which even a mayfly would hold pity for.

"Mother, please don't leave me! I don't wanna be alone! The people here are so mean to me. You're the only person that likes me! You're the only one who loves me!" The boy pleaded to his mother. Terrified of the prospect of having nothing in his life.

"Carlo." She warmly spoke and brushed the tears from his eyes, her arm quivering at the strain. "I was never meant to stay in this world forever. You know that."

"Of course I do!" He yelled between his sniffles. "But it's not fair! You would've lived forever in any other country!"

The woman gave out what was meant to be a chuckle, only for it to be more like a wheeze.

"It matters not my sweet baby." She smiled at him. "Please do one more thing for Mommy."

"A-anything you want!" The tears cascaded down his face without end, blending with the rain seamlessly.

"Live."

That was the final word she spoke before shedding her mortal coil.

As Matt went to remove the man's head, he suddenly felt a massive spike of magic power. Lucius' body floated upwards like it was ascending to heaven. Matt could've sworn he saw tears on the man's cheeks as he rose up.

Once he was above even the wall of this massive fortress, he spread out his arms.

"HEAVENLY CATACLYSM!"

Then it all went black.

* * *

Not far from where this battle was occurring, a young boy in a large empty room looked towards the direction of all of this. His body draped in lavish clothing worth millions, potentially billions of jewels.

"Toyo, you may make yourself known." The high-pitched voice spoke to the seemingly hidden man.

The familiar armored mage took a knee and bowed his head.

"Forgive me Milord, I just felt that massive surge of power and wished to make sure you were safe."

A giggle came from the boy.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm Toyo, but rest easy, this is a matter that won't storm the homefront… for now potentially." The brown orbs gazed over to the barely visible island far in the distance. It used to be far more recognizable with their recent renovation there, but that was just destroyed.

"Sit. You should also bare witness to this." The young emperor ushered the mage forward.

"What makes this so important if I may ask?" The man sat next to the boy, earning an amused chuckle from him.

"It's not every day you witness two devils dancing to the melody of death."

* * *

Matt slowly opened his eyes, darkness was all he could see. In terms of feeling, he felt nothing off outside the agonizing soreness his body felt. He placed his hand in front of his body and felt the familiar texture of cobblestone.

'Is this the ground? What the hell happened?' The teen then used all his strength to push, his arms and legs working together.

Thankfully this was the only thing atop of him. Once it was removed, he dusted himself off and looked around.

"What in the world just happened?" Matt looked around and could only describe what he saw with a single word: destruction.

The entire city had been leveled, all the walls toppled and any sign of life being here was reduced to dust and rubble. A colossal crater was in the epicenter of this calamity where Lucius was seen on one knee. Breathing like his life depended on it.

Matt gazed around the ruins of the city, only seeing piles and piles of rubble and debris.

"Is anyone there?! Jura! Yoru! Ultear! Siegrain! Answer me damnit!" He shouted around in dwindling hope, his voice traveling far and reaching nothing.

Only dead silence responded to his pleas.

"You can't be serious…" He gazed around, the magnitude of what happened finally setting in.

"No." Matt clutched his hand.

"I can't give up."

He approached the center of the island and stood atop the crater. His gaze shooting daggers at the man who defied any sense of logic.

"So, you still live huh? That's good." Lucius sounded truly exhausted after that. "How fitting that the King is the last one standing in a land without any subject's." He bitterly smirked and stood, his eyes slightly widening in shock as he looked at Matt's own. "Though given those eyes of yours, you resemble a Demon more than a King." A chuckle escaped his lips. "I suppose they are two sides of the same coin though."

Matt's fist clenched tightly enough to turn his knuckles white as Lucius met his gaze.

"Alright then… if this is all just some game to you." The teen threw his hand back.

"Lucius! I challenge you to a fight to the death!" He roared at the man who looked dumbstruck for a moment at the teen's words.

"Heheh. Hahahaha. HAHAHAHA!" His hand covered his eyes as he laughed, not as an insult, but in genuine amusement to be challenged to a game of death by the very king of them. His plan had finally entered the part he so wished to see done with just to two of them, the perfect development.

"Very well! I accept your challenge!" A smile of excitement rose upon the man's lips. "But let us do away with meaningless titles and masks! Our true names and our pride as magi shall do all the speaking!"

"Lucius" cast aside his tattered shirt and coat to reveal a body coated in scars clearly caused by beatings and whippings of a countless number. Chunks of flesh had been ripped from his back, like a knife had carved out the wounds. Burns, bullet holes and a large variety of others scars also decorated his flesh.

"I am Carlo Divinia! A slave who is no longer chained!"

Matt reached up and threw aside his own tattered upper body garments, showing his own scars and telling his own story.

"I… am Matthew Percival Conrad! A stranger from a far away world!"

Carlo's stance widened as he raised a hand to Matt.

"To the victor of this battle: the title of hero! And whomever falls shall be known as the villain in this story!"

Matt drew a card and raised it high, it gave off a blinding light as a the silhouette of a massive dragon was downcast over the former slave.

The mighty and proud beast was of a pure, untainted white color with an icy-blue gaze that struck primordial fear into all that gazed at it. It gave a mighty ear-splitting roar, as it to let the very heavens themselves know it has arrived, and it shall spare no mercy to its enemies.

The teen summoned a blade and took a stance, his gaze never breaking with Lucius' own.

Time slowed to a crawl as nothing else mattered to these two other than the person right across from them.

The dragon charged a sphere of energy and fired it at Carlo.

Just before he could block it, Matt suddenly appeared in front of him and drove his foot deep into the man's gut.

The teen the quickly dashed away as Carlo was consumed by the attack from Blue-Eyes. However the man practically flew away as he glided along the ground, unharmed from the endeavour.

Blue-Eyes continued to fire off attacks at the greenette. He raised his hand and deflected them into the ocean. Massive pillars of water shot into the night sky from these attacks.

Carlo took to the very skies as Matt tried to shoot him down with his bow. This attempt at offense was easily countered though, so Matt upped it. Well over a hundred weapons appeared around the teen as they all fired with a flick of the wrist.

"Haaaaaaaaaaa!" Carlo's magic caused the rubble to rise up as entire buildings were raised up as a manual defense. The man was not taking any risks with Matt now, his secrets exposed and easily exploited by the teen.

Realizing his opponent could play the distance game much better than himself, Matt took matters into his own hands. Leaping onto the back of the mighty dragon, it shot towards the man, blasting apart his improvised defense.

The greenette grinned ear-to-ear as he dashed around the island, picking up more and more rubble as he went, amassing a small army of destroyed buildings.

Carlo shot up high into the air, directing the torrent of stone towards the dragon.

"Don't slow down no matter what!" Matt ordered as the beast didn't falter in the face of the attack.

Matt shot out a series of blades into the larger pieces of rubble, the impaled steel detonating in a massive explosion shortly after contact. The massive cloud of dust obscured Carlo's vision as he barely dodged Blue-Eyes biting him in two. Though he noticed the absence of Matt far too late as the teen's heel, covered in an odd black and white light, shattered Carlo's right shoulder and collarbone, spiking him to the ground almost instantaneously.

The dragon followed up with its own attack, consuming the spot their enemy landed with a blue sphere of devastation. Matt grabbed onto the flying monster and kept his gaze locked below, ignoring the sharp pain in his heel now.

"Dodge!" Matt barked as a stream of rubble flew directly at the duo.

Fairy Tail's young mage held in tightly as the dragon rolled in its dive to the earth, he blindly fired weapons in the general direction of Carlo without rest. Matt leapt off in the face of an entire chunk of the island's wall being launched at them.

He created a bow as large as his body just over his head, his arm mimed the motion of pulling back the massive sword being used as an arrow. The axe-sword elongated and became a new breed of destruction as it was shot out at speeds that sound would gape at.

Without any effort, the wall was torn asunder by the arrow as it dived into the earth, erupting into a fireball that rivaled Matt's first attempt of genuine damage to the dark mage yesterday.

His free fall continued even when he spotted the manically grinning form of Carlo. He clicked his tongue and moved his hand oddly. Matt's body spun and landed on a moving mass of the the intact blades he'd shot out, it coiled around the sky like a snake.

"HAHAHAHAHA! More! Show me more Matthew!" Carlo cackled as he dodged the assault from the flying artillery unit.

The mass of the flying tornado of blades decreased as it shot itself at the green-haired man relentlessly. Carlo quickly acted and caused massive eruptions of land to come up beneath the teen, making him abandon his air superiority.

Blue-Eyes shot a beam of concentrated energy at the man, his magic causing the attack to carve into the ground. A massive explosion of power shortly followed in its wake, running the length of the island.

While this was happening, Matt charged in at the man, his blade overhead and itching for the former slave's blood.

"Predictable!" Carlo cried out as he prepared to counter.

What wasn't predictable to the man was Matt shattering into a million pieces like glass.

By the time Carlo realized it was an illusion, it was too late.

"Now burn in hell!"

A dragon of flame engulfed the man and pushed him around the ruins of the city in its maw. He barely kept the flames at bay, but felt his skin burning from the heat alone. The man was dragged into the sky by the flame construct.

The snake dispelled in time for Blue-Eyes to finally score a hit on the man. That wasn't entirely it though, as a colossal wave of magic power practically coated the entire sky upon contact with the hunk of flesh still suspended in the air.

Matt breathed heavily as he had difficulty staying on his feet, the heel he'd hit Carlo with aching with pain.

"You were holding out on me." Carlo smirked. The skin on his forearms was completely burned along with a large portion of his torso. Most of his exposed flesh was now covered in burns and dust.

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises you bastard." Matt grinned between his dry heaves.

"Well guess what?" The ground around Matt began to rumble as the debris of the massive tower was lifted high into the air, massive piles of dirt and dust falling off of them. "So am I."

With a wave of his hand, the rubble of the skyscraper was shot out at Matt far faster than the other times before it.

"Tch. No choice." He clicked his tongue and drew two more cards. "Merge my dragons!"

The light coming from the card in his hand was blinding. When it settled, a new card of ten stars was in its place.

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

A massive dragon with three heads appeared behind Matt. The power it gave out would stun almost anyone that gazed at it, as even its sheer size towered over its one-headed counterpart.

"Tri-Burst of Calamity!" He roared the order out.

The three heads charged their own colored attacks and fired them all out at once, the free attacks merging into one.

"Unison Raid by itself?!" Carlo screamed in shock.

What was rubble before was reduced to absolute nothingness by this attack. The beam shot so high into the sky one could see it from entire countries away.

Immediately after this, the dragon was desummoned and Matt fell to a knee. Not even a minute of that Dragon being out pushed him to the brink of blacking out. His gaze at the ground was unfocused and full of black spots, his body unsteady and losing strength rapidly.

The noise of something colliding with the ground harshly extended Matt's ability to remain conscious as he slowly looked up in disbelief.

"Oh come the fuck on." He groaned in exasperation.

Carlo was barely standing himself. One of his arms was entirely gone, not even a stump remained of the appendage everything up to the armpit was eradicated.

"Magic is amplified in power should the user sacrifice something. It took my arm and several organs to barely block that attack. You have my praise King, I doubt even a Wizard Saint could push me that far." His voice was coarse due to all the flames that had boiled the saliva in his throat. The man coughed up blood quite profusely, clearly having to sacrifice important organs to sustain a strong enough defense.

Matt stabbed his sword into the ground and used it to stand. His body shook at every minute movement, all his muscles ached in immense pain.

"As reward for reminding me why I fight, your death shall be quick and painless." He raised a large piece of rubble up above Matt, his tone somewhat overextended. Like he was stalling.

'Damn. Move damnit! You'll die if you don't move!' His mind roared at his body that was barely responsive.

"Farewell King." Carlo waved his hand down. The massive slab went to crush Matt.

That is until it was suddenly shattered apart.

"Man oh man kid. You're gonna be the death of my y'know?" Yoru grinned as she stood in front of Matt.

"Yoru…" He gazed at the woman and noticed something quite distinct. "Y-your arm." What should've been a right arm was now a stump just below the shoulder. Dried blood and pitch black skin on the remnant painted the grisly image of what happened.

"Huh? Oh yeah, that thing got crushed by some rubble. So I cut it off." She spoke nonchalantly at Matt with a shrug.

Carlo, while caught up at another survivor appearing, failed to dodge a pillar of stone smashing itself into his chest. He coughed up even more blood as he collided with a pile of debris a ways away.

"I apologize for my tardiness." Jura appeared beside Matt.

"Heh. Good to see you still standing buddy." Matt gave a small smile to the man.

Jura grinned at Matt, "Likewise my friend."

"Okay, so what the hell is this bastard made out of?" Siegrain rolled his shoulder as he joined the group, his clothes tattered and body cut.

"Don't know, but it's starting to get on my nerves." Ultear sighed in annoyance, her clothes holding up just fine compared to her dirt-coated skin.

Matt sighed in relief as everyone was still kicking even after that kind of attack.

"Right. So. Anyone else got any hidden super powerful tricks they wanna pull out?" Yoru asked the group with a hint of desperation.

"Well. I got one trick left to play." Matt sighed as he stood up straight. "It's still rough around the edges, and it hurts like hell to use, but with support and that bastards current condition, I think we can beat him if I use it in one last push."

"You sure you're good to go? You look ready to black out." Ultear expressed her concern at him.

"Not like we got any other options." He responded plainly. "Plus it's a full moon, so while not ideal, it's the second best option."

"What, you gonna turn into a werewolf?" Siegrain joked to the teen.

"Nope. This is considerably different. Just watch and get ready to attack." He exhaled deeply.

Matt dispelled the sword and tilted his head up. He then breathed in extremely deeply. To the shock of everyone, the light around his body and beyond just... vanished. He was completely invisible, a sphere that made one think of the dark matter in space surrounded him. Sweat beaded down his head rapidly until he finally stopped, becoming visible again immediately.

Matt coughed up some blood into his hand, "Goddamn! Feels like my lungs are gonna pop!" He got control of the pain in his chest, his other hand clutching his chest.

"Matt, are you?" Jura spoke in revelation of recognizing that specific kind of move.

"Nope. This is something new." He smirked and began to walk forward, a rush of adrenaline keeping him going. "Back me up, this magic and my body are still working on the whole agreement aspect."

Carlo stood shakily and eyed the approaching teen.

"Still eager to fight? I admire your persistence." He bitterly chortled.

"Sorry, but this ends here." He plainly spoke to the dark mage.

"Oh? How do you plan to accomplish this?" He raised a curious brow.

Matt raised his arm and pointed at the man.

"I see, so you'll mock my lack of an arm and point at me to death. I'm shaking in my tattered boots." He chuckled sarcastically.

"Light God's Baldur."

A laser of white energy with a black outline shot from his fingertip and easily pierced the shoulder of Carlo. The skin on Matt's fingertip sizzled and turned black where the spell fired.

The man needed a few seconds to recognize what had just happened. But when he did, it was immediate shock.

Faster than his neurons could even fire, Matt drove his right fist into the ribs of Carlo. The man vomited up the contents of his stomach and an surprising amount of blood from the now likely crushed organ.

His body violently skidded across the ground. Tearing his flesh from the bone and then breaking said bones. Unfortunately for him, Matt was in front of him and kicked him in another direction, the mixed-colored light wrapped around his body.

A barrage of hits littered the older man's broken body as Matt kept up with the speed he was moving. An axe kick drove his skull straight into the earth.

Matt grimaced harshly as he felt his body scream in pain. Not exactly easy moving faster and hitting harder than what your body is even remotely used to. Especially when you're already beat to hell and are on the brink of blacking out.

The teen was shot back and through a few walls of rubble by a retaliating Carlo.

Carlo's face was covered in a mask of crimson from the awful head wound he'd just gotten from the teen.

Jura immediately set to work as the ground beneath him rose up, dragging the man to the sky.

"Heavenly Body Magic: Zwergstern!" A large ball of fire appeared above Jellal and beams of flame shot out from it at Carlo, this heat far more tolerable compared to the earlier level he'd faced, but still unpleasant.

Despite repelling the attack, the ground beneath him collapsed as a series of strikes from the sphere broke down his already destroyed body after this.

Yoru in her lightning goddes form kicked a wave of electricity at him from high above. The force of this sending him crashing down the pillar faster than it could crumble.

"Light God's Bellow!"

A massive beam of black-coated white light destroyed the area Carlo would've landed in. Matt violently coughed as blood fell from his mouth, the esophagus torn from the force. He was pushing himself far past his limit, and his body was _begging_ him to stop.

Matt happily would have if this bastard wasn't the goddamn Terminator.

"ENOUGH!!!" A massive wave of force came from the man. No where close to the one that destroyed the city, but it definitely wasn't a slouch.

Matt dashed back with his shoe rune and wiped the blood from his mouth with a finger. Once the attack was done he rushed forward and drew a rune in the air with said blood.

"Try this asshole!"

A torrent of powered up flame shot forward at Carlo who used the rubble to block it. Matt was now within ten feet of the man.

Another rune was drawn with blood. This one kicked up a tornado of wind that sucked up Matt and Carlo and expelled them high into the air.

'Thanks for the tidbit about magic getting stronger with sacrifice. Blood is a pretty useful amplifier.' Matt smirked as the man beneath him once again used a large sphere of force to launch the teen higher into the sky.

Ultear and Yoru sent volleys of attacks at Carlo who had to focus on those nuisances with his magic. This allowed Siegrain and Jura to launch a platform to Matt.

The teen cocked his right fist back as he felt his foot touch the platform he'd been specially delivered.

"Light God's..."

With all the remaining strength his legs could muster, he launched himself off of the platform at a breakneck speed towards Carlo. A ball of the odd light gathered around Matt's fist.

"Not so fast!" Carlo went to block the attack. That is until a staff that was thrown and broke his remaining arm. His gaze fell to the heavily wounded form of Sarutobi's summon, smirking maliciously at the man.

"Heh. That Monkey actually made it." Siegrain spoke, clearly impressed by the summon making it this far without dispelling.

With his concentration disrupted, Carlo was utterly helpless to this next attack. Matt didn't even notice the wide smile on the man's face.

"Judgement!"

Carlo couldn't even hope to dodge as Matt punched him as hard as he possibly could. Matt felt his arm practically explode on the inside from the strain, like everything inside the limb spontaneously erupted into pure agony.

The Dark Mage vomited out what had to have been the last of the blood in his body as he shot down to the ground. Massive slabs of earth shot up from the ground, truly exemplifying how hard the hit was.

Matt began to fall to the ground, unable to move anymore. Fortunately he was caught by Yoru and gently set down on the ground.

Siegrain slowly approached the body of Carlo. He went to kill him, but realized the man was already dead. Likely from Matt's punch caving in half his chest.

The youngest boy sighed in relief. "It's over."

"Di-Did we win?" Matt spoke in clear exhaustion.

"Looks like it." Yoru sat down and rested.

"Alright woo. Go us. Good job everyone, let's take 5." Matt unenthusiastically cheered.

"Minutes?" Ultear questioned.

"Hell no, hours." Matt quickly responded.

"I can agree to that." Jura smirked and sat on some rubble.

"Looks like you brats actually did it." The Monkey King spoke as he approached the group, covered in cuts and bruises.

"Can't believe you're still going." Ultear was clearly surprised.

"Heh. Don't underestimate Captain Sarutobi, even in death." Yoru bitterly smirked.

Gold dust began to leave the Monkey.

"Well, either way, it looks like I'm done here. Give Sarutobi my last regards." He smirked as he dissipated into nothingness, sparing a glance and smile at Matt.

Silence consumed the group for a moment as they took in the weight of their lost comrades.

That is until…

"You know."

Everyone's eyes shot open and turned to face the unbelievably standing form of Carlo.

"That was a very good punch." He weakly smirked as everyone tried to prepare for another fight.

However exhaustion had claimed them once the adrenaline passed, Matt was unable to even muster the power to move a finger, hell he couldn't even feel his right arm after that punch.

"How the hell?!" Siegrain exclaimed as he gazed at the caved in chest of the man.

"My magic is rather handy. I'm using it to force my remaining lung to move and my heart to beat. Nasty damage you did to me King." Blood leaked from the corners of his mouth uncontrollably as he praised the teen.

"It doesn't matter, you're almost out of Magic Power as it is." Matt scowled as he surrounded the man with weapons, his only option available.

"Indeed. I'm no longer able to fight, however that's not why I still stand." His words caused the group to look on confused.

"King, do you remember where our conversation before this fight occured?"

"A control room." He recalled.

"Correct, I assume you to also be an avid newspaper reader too. Recall a recent renovation undertaken by this country, Iceburg and Caelum."

Their eyes widened as they realized what happened.

"You broadcasted our conversation to the entire continent?"

Carlo nodded, "Yes. There was a reason I was especially eager to chat before fighting."

"That's all fine and dandy, but you got a reason?" Ultear glared at the man.

"It's a big world out there you know." Carlo started speaking and slwoly gazed up to the starry sky. "Lots of people with broken hearts and wills. Tell me, what happens when someone who breaks under the pressures of this world is still held together by this force against their will?"

"They'd be functional lunatics." Yoru slowly pieced together his plan.

"Indeed. So what happens if that pressure is instead relived with gifted hope?"

Matt realized where this was going. "You're gonna make yourself into a martyr to people who see themselves as oppresed. You intended to die here!"

The teen's words made everyone realize the gravity of this entire incident.

"Looks like the King figured it out." Lucius grinned, "There's a reason I needed you specifically, everyone else was just additional reinforcement. What better way to die than having the Poster Boy chosen by the Council do me in? That'll throw anyone that wakes up from my words wish to fight even harder. To rebel against this horrid world. My apologies for using you like that, but I'm sure you understand."

"Does that mean you held back you bastard?!" He raged at the man.

"My sincerest apologies, but I just couldn't bring myself to kill such fantastic mages like you all in such a barbaric manner like the guards or Councilman. Your dedication warrants that much respect at least." The man lowered his head in an attempted bow, though all he did was collapse to his knees weakly.

Matt's hand bled in pure frustration from his grip, anger allowing some movement. Even after all this hard work and training, even after hitting him with everything he had, this bastard that he thought he beat after all that work wasn't even going all out all along!

"You say your message and death will inspire others, but are you sure?" Jura questioned the man.

"Of course." He answered plainly. "People that are broken or feel like they don't belong crave a place to belong. Give them the right words and nudge, and they'll fight back against what they believe oppresses them."

"You're gonna send thousands off to die!" Yoru roared in anger at Carlo.

"Perhaps I will, perhaps they'll succeed regardless. I seek change, even if the blood of thousands must be shed, if it means preventing the suffering of tens of thousands in the future, then it's worth it." Carlo began to wobble as blood started to leak from his body once again.

"The ends justify the means." Ultear gazed away, unfortunately knowing where the man was coming from.

"Now then." He turned to look at Matt who looked at him in anger. "I truly apologize for insulting your strength by not going all out King, however rest assured I wasn't taking it easy on you."

"If you're trying to beg, it won't work." The teen scowled, his voice coarse.

"Oh parish the thought." Carlo waved his remaining hand side-to-side limply. "I want you to finish me off."

Matt's scowl deepened. "Why? So your whole plan can come full circle? Fuck off." He spat out.

"Heh." Carlo weakly chuckled. "It was worth a shot." His eyes bulged as he began wheezing. His magic running on fumes now.

No one dared finish him off. A slow death was the best they could do to try and quell their fury at the man.

"Good." He weakly spoke as his vision blackened. "Those eyes, will cultivate the future." Carlo's head slumped against his chest. "Forgive me mother...I...bro..ke...

.our...promi...se..."

At that moment, Carlo passed on from this world.

An ominous silence consumed the group as they kept their gazed locked on the corpse of their foe. His words echoing in their minds.

**And there you have it ladies and gentlemen.**

**Welcome back everyone! I hope you enjoyed that bombastic chapter!**

**Matt and Co. vs Lucius was a very fun fight to write. I wanted to have a little bit of everything in there. The first half was far more technical and strategic while the back half was just more fun ANIME bullshit.**

**We also got to see Toyo again, along with Enca's Emperor, a young boy. He won't be a major character mind you, but I just wanted to add that extra dash of world building.**

**So Matt's "hidden" magic has been revealed, Light God Slayer. I don't think I kept it hidden well. As for why I picked that, future backstory fun. However Matt's future use of this magic will he very different compared to how any slayer uses their magic. We'll see in time, but don't expect this magic to make another appearance anytime soon.**

**Blue-Eyes has finally taken to the stage. My sharper eyed readers will notice a key detail that Ultimate Dragon is just 10 stars. This is because 11 stars are even more absurdly powerful, and 12 stars are taken up by 2 cards exclusively (they aren't hard to figure out).**

**We finally find out what Matt's actual name is. I felt it was only appropriate to have him say it at least once before uh... stuff happens in the next arc. Don't worry about it.**

**So. Lucius' plan. Effectively, the root of it was going to Enca's Lacrima tower since it would be the easiest to get to, somehow get the council to deploy Matt, have Matt talk with him and broadcast that, have Matt kill him, local media will handle the rest of the information distribution. Essentially Naraka, the 9 others, the stolen battleship, all of that was just consequences of him making sure Matt would be selected.**

**Ultimately, he wished to become a martyr so he could inspire the oppressed to unite. He understands the cycle of hatred well, so Lucius wished to alter it by becoming a symbol instead of a statistic.**

**Now in the off-hand chance he acidentally killed Matt, he would've had to figure out something entirely different. Legitimately he hadn't really planned on that, hence why he didn't just esplode everyone when they fougt him and why he stalled crushing Matt for Yoru to make the save.**

**But needless to say, our heroes lost. Sure they accomplished the goal of killing Lucius and the Dark Mages, but that was ultimately his plan too.**

**Next time, the epilogue where the consequences of this arc rear their ugly heads and we get a peek into some future battles that Matt will be facing down the line.**

**Until next time, I bid you all adieu.**


	26. The World Continues Forward

**Hello ladies and gentlemen! Before we get started, we have the usual!**

**Echonic:** Yeah, don't expect that level of build up for a fight again for a while. It'll be an interesting one though, that's for sure.

**xPricefieldx: **Well my friend, you're about to find out in like... three paragraphs. Spoiler alert: no.

**Middernacht****: **That was actually the sick pun to a degree. A guy basically named Lucifer sets out on a crusade to free oppressed people from an iron-fisted tyrant and dies to solidify himself as a symbol... holy shit I just basically wrote a chaos ending from SMT.

**Alright! Enjoy the epilogue to this arc, and the look forward to the next trials!**

To the fortune of our exhausted and stranded band of survivors, help arrived from the local military not too long after Lucius' death. They were told what occurred and immediately transported the wounded back to the best hospital in the country.

"Everything hurrrts." Matt groaned out as he laid in a very comfortable bed, though it did little to help.

"Well that's what you should expect. You basically shattered your limiter with that last push." Ultear spoke beside him while reading a book, a smug look on her face.

"Well not everyone can just sit back and let their magic do all the work… no offense Jura."

"None taken." The bald man assured the teen from across the room.

"Just be glad you get to keep your arm. I have no idea what the hell I was thinking back there." Yoru was still bewildered by her own decision to just cut off her trapped arm and cauterize the wound.

"When will be get to return back to Fiore. I have some business I need to get back to." Siegrain impatiently spoke.

"They said as soon as Matt and Yoru are safe to put on a boat. So another few days and we should be heading back. Hina will be stuck here until she's even able to stand up, lord only knows when that'll be…" The blind mage had been relocated by Jura shortly before the wanton destruction of the island had occured. Unfortunately there was some permanent damage done to her organs, until her strength can come back, she wouldn't be doing anything. "Besides would you rather make the trip back on foot?" Ultear must've responded to that question at least five times by now.

"Somehow I get the feeling I'm gonna hate the trip back too." The God Slayer grimaced at the prospect of broken bones and a migraine, the latter a likely effect of the magic.

"By the way Yoru-dono, have they unearthed the bodies yet?" Jura immediately set the mood of the room with that question.

"Well, they found everyone's except for the Captain's body outside his head and Ken because, well..." The woman sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "They're still excavating the rubble though, so who knows."

It'd only been about three days since what is now being called one of the largest losses of life outside of a war in the history of the continent. The press hasn't caught wind of who was dead and who was alive yet, likely due to governmental interference. That'd soon be rendered moot as the noteworthy absence of four Rune Knight captains and an S-Class mage of Phantom Lord would definitely stir the pot even more than it already had. The longstanding absence of Matt would also likely cause some eyebrows to raise.

The teen also wished to get back to Fairy Tail as soon as possible. He didn't wanna worry them more than he needed to. Though, things may be a bit different now.

The teen gazed down at his bandaged and slung arm. He'd managed to not only shatter every single bone and tear all the muscles in it with that last attack, but permanent nerve damage had also been done. Thankfully the tendons and ligaments were still good enough to heal nicely, so theoretically if it should heal, it'll still be usable. Though he was also told the arm may tire far more quickly compared to his other, discounting a far unsteadier hand. This is on top of the fact he can't be administered any magical healing drugs as they could complicate the delicate healing process of his arm. So Matt would have to naturally heal his broken bones, flesh wounds and the like, a process that will undoubtedly sideline him for a while.

He sighed, guessing a slightly weaker arm was a fair price to pay for using a magic he was having difficulty mastering and took a toll on his body.

Matt knows he'd killed at least three people back there. But for some reason, he felt… nothing. Not even a sliver of guilt, remorse or even pity. It was like his mind refused to accept such notions as even a consideration. As if some deep part of him had already had this discussion and reached a suitable conclusion. It honestly started to worry the teen.

His gaze shifted over to the nightstand by his bed. Atop his deck box was the handkerchief Yato gave to him. He'd be forever grateful to her for helping him overcome that trauma. However beneath those feelings was something bubbling and dwelling beneath the surface. For now, he'd just ignore it. It didn't handicap him, so it was fine to deal with later.

Matt just hoped later didn't mean a repeat of what happened with Yato.

* * *

Eventually the quintet was finally on a boat heading back to Fiore. After stopping, they were going to attend the arranged funeral of their comrades. Well, at least Matt, Jura and Yoru were.

Siegrain left after they hit land citing personal matters he needed to immediately get back to. Everyone obviously understood and let him go.

Hina was still struck in Enca, confined to a bed for the foreseeable future.

"So, you're already going huh?" Matt looked at the girl who carried a bag of her spare clothes.

"Yup. Gotta get back to my city y'know? Money doesn't grow on trees after all." She joked with him.

"Fair enough." He chuckled. Though that was quickly changed as she walked over and kissed his cheek.

"Maybe we'll meet again big guy." The woman teased him with a wink before walking off.

Matt held a hand to the cheek and stared at her as she left. To some, this would've been the greatest thing ever. However…

'I… I should be happy about this right? I should be overjoyed that a girl likes me… right?' Something began to dawn upon the teen as he watched the woman leave. Instead of joy or awkwardness, the teen felt… something else.

Fear.

He eventually walked off, back to the hotel currently housing the remaining trio of mages, trying to decipher why the hell a relationship scares him to death.

Eventually the time came for the funeral. Cosmo's body had already been claimed by his father and taken back home for burial. This was for the other Rune Knights.

People stood and talked about how great the lives of these men and women were. Their courage to sacrifice it all for the greater good. The strength they had to take on the impossible odds. All of that was white noise to Matt.

'Bullshit. It's all bullshit they're spouting.' Matt kept his gaze to the ground. 'They didn't die for some lavish cause or grandiose reason. There was no rhyme or reason for them to die at all. Those four were murdered by other people that believe their way is right. Lucius was practically unbeatable from how strongly he believed in his cause. Perhaps… he wasn't entirely wrong…'

"Matt-dono?" Jura tapped his shoulder.

"Sorry, got lost in my own head." Matt shook his head.

The bald man nodded. "They're about to bury the bodies now."

Matt nodded and cast his gaze up.

Behind each coffin was an image of the person being buried and their gravestone. This would be the last time he'd see any of their faces, for better, or for worse.

Ken was a nice guy. He was definitely respected amongst his peers of the rows of crying men and women told him anything. Though he wasn't particularly close with the Insect mage, he still felt bad.

Then there was the Captain. The man saved his life and died because Matt couldn't accept the reality of fighting someone he just couldn't beat. Staring at his face made him absolutely enraged at himself.

Lastly was Yato. Matt didn't think he'd ever forgive himself for her death. He could've prevented it. He could've saved her. He could've done anything to help. But he didn't because he was a damn coward. A coward that still couldn't figure out what the hell was wrong with himself.

As everyone said their goodbyes and eventually left, only four people were left. Matt, Jura, Yoru and a girl around Matt's age crying her eyes out next to Yato's grave; her long blonde hair and lithe figure gave away her identity.

He approached the girl and pulled out the handkerchief.

"She'd have wanted you to have this." He spoke in an uncharacteristically dry tone, devoid of any real sympathy.

The girl stopped sniffling and looked over at him, her purple eyes puffy and red.

"That's! Wh-where did you get this?" The woman stared at the familiar cloth in shock.

"She let me borrow it before she died because of me."

The girl went stiff as a statue. "What did you say?"

"She died because I was a coward. Plain and simple." He berated himself.

Jura went to speak up in defense of his friend, but was held back by Yoru who shook her head while gazing at the ground.

As she gazed at Matt, her knuckles became white from how hard her hand was clenching. She threw a punch at the teen who took it with a stumble. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as his lip bled. The cloth flying from his hand to landing atop of coffin.

"I HATE YOU! YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE IN A COFFIN! NOT MY SISTER!!!" She roared at Matt who silently took it. The girl stormed off in rage, disgusted by the mere sight of him.

Rain descended from the sky, finally catching up with the mood of the event after many hours.

Yoru approached the teen and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You gonna be alright?"

"… I'll manage."

That was all he said before walking off. Leaving the handkerchief on the coffin.

* * *

The next day Jura bid farewell to Matt as he had an especially long trip to get back to Lamia Scale.

Matt and Yoru packed their bags together.

"So, what's next for you?" She asked the boy.

"Gonna get back to the guild for now." His absentminded tone had become the predominant one he exuded lately.

"I see. Well, I officially quit the Rune Knights."

Matt looked over to her in genuine surprise. "Why?"

"Well, after what happened I kinda realized how short life is y'know? I've never actually gone out and seen the world. Experienced the culture. Enjoyed the sights. I don't wanna loose that chance while I have it." The woman smirked, "Besides, I gotta make sure I have enough experiences for four lifetimes!"

Matt nodded in understanding and finished closing his suitcase. He lifted it with his good hand and approached the woman.

"Well, good luck out there. From one lefty to another." He joked.

The woman smirked and playfully smacked his shoulder.

"You stay safe alright?" She pointed at him.

"No promises, I am a Mage by trade after all."

The duo fist bumped before Matt left ahead of her.

* * *

Jellal sat back in a chair. "Siegrain" had come back a bit ago and the merged with him.

"Well that was certainly something." The bluenette sighed and stretched, already feeling mentally exhausted from all the new information.

"Still. Matthew Atlas huh?" He smirked, "What an interesting individual."

Standing up, he walked over to a chess board.

"Now then, I've made my name known to the Council. Next step is to establish deep trust. How to go about this?" Jellal smirked as he planned out his next move.

* * *

"Well if it ain't our fearless leader." Zankrow smirked at Ultear who had just returned. "How'd it go? Did you kill anyone?"

"You'll find out after Master Hades does." She replied bluntly as she entered the main hall of their ship.

"Ah, Ultear. I've heard of what happened, excellent work." He nodded in approval of the girl.

"Thank you Master Hades." She bowed to the man before descending the details of the event.

"To think he'd go as far as he did. It just proves the need for our goal is growing stronger and stronger every day. We must find the remaining keys to unseal Zeref's power!"

"""Yes, Master Hades!!!""" The five Kin all responded at once before leaving the room.

"So, Matthew Atlas huh?" Azuma smirked, "I really wanna fight him."

"I get the first serving of that bastard!" Zoldeo threatened the Tree Mage.

"Don't." Ultear bluntly told them.

"Oh? Afraid Azuma or Goat Boy would murder your boyfriend?" Zankrow teased the girl with a slasher smile.

"No. I'd rather not have us drop back to being the Three Kin so quickly." That was all she said before walking off.

"S-Seems like Ultear is s-still in charge." Kain cowered around a corner.

The girl laid on her bed with a huff.

'Why the hell did I kiss him?!' She rolled around her bed with her face covered by her hands.

'And what was with that look on his face?! Am I not good enough for him?! Oh god, did I do that too soon?!?!'

This bipolar breakdown would've stunned even Hades by how unexpected and… _teenage_ it was for Ultear.

"Argh!" She rubbed her hair in annoyance.

'Why am I getting so hung up over him?! Just because he got so much better looking. And so much more confident. And way stronger than before. Oh and that smile is to die for. Can't forget those abs either. Him also thanking me for the help was really sweet too… DAMNIT ALL!'

The girl eventually decided a pillow was the best placed to ram her face into and scream. After this was done, she remained silent.

'… I should send him a Communication Lacrima.'

* * *

On a far off island off the coast of Fiore a dew days ago, a young man laid in the fields of yellow grass, completely complacent with his current resting ground.

A pair of black eyes opened to the beautiful night sky littered with clouds. He felt a truly massive amount of Magical Power coming from far away.

"Hmmm. That's odd. It feels rather… familiar. And yet so different too. Curious."

After he finished speaking, the spike of power died down along with his interest. The man's thoughts shifted after a moment.

"I wonder, where are you Natsu?"

The thought of his brother made the man smile as he once more peacefully slumbered.

* * *

"What'd you say to me you stripper?!"

"You heard me ash brain!"

Natsu and Gray were yet again in another fight. And once again, Erza quickly broke it up.

"Erza's being a bit more stern than normal ain't she?" Macao observed the redhead.

"Can you blame her? She's probably worried sick about you-know-who." Wakaba took a hit of his cigarette.

"Yeah, you got a point." Macao's expression turned downcast.

Matt had been gone for about a month by now. The paper detailing the event came out a few days ago.

Thousands dead with the only survivors being from the task force. Names and such were omitted to save privacy and allow time for families to grieve. However to Fairy Tail, it made them worry even further. They knew about half of the people in the group had died. So their anxiety was at an all-time high.

Kagura tried her hardest to keep up Brandish's mood over his absence with things like visiting the fair or training. But everyone could tell they hardly slept recently.

Erza trained about three times as hard. Likely to vent her stress and worry. The guild decided to just take her criticisms of their screw ups in stride to try and alleviate the stress on her.

Natsu had held off on going to his first job since he wanted Matt to be there when he got back to congratulate him. Erza still trained him on mastering reading and writing though. That brought a good chuckle to the guild in these times.

Gray and Cana didn't show their worry like anyone else did. But the older members could just tell by looking at them that they were some of the more anxious ones.

Even the Strauss siblings were concerned for the teen they barely knew. Mira didn't even try and pick a fight with Erza since Matt had left.

Hell, even Gildarts had recently come back and opted to stick around for the time. Granted, Natsu tried fighting him and it ended about as well as his attempt at Matt after the Tournament. This was another source of some happiness for everyone in these times.

Makarov wore a mask of indifference since it was his job as guild master to handle these kinds of things the best. But beneath that? The man was a mess. He'd known Matt for 9 years now. Since he was just a little brat. There was a sense of paternal protection with him as the boy didn't have anyone himself. Well, anyone in this world that is.

"Damnit all! I'm tired of waiting!" Natsu yelled in frustration. He then stormed to the entrance.

"Where do you think you're going?" Erza placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm gonna go find Matt! Duh!"

Everyone in the guild immediately stopped doing whatever it was they were occupying themselves with.

"Natsu..." Erza's expression fell.

"Don't give me that! You all think he's dead don't you?!" He accused the guild. Some of them looked away with a guilty expression. "Well I don't! No way he'd go down like that!"

"Just give it a rest already." Gray clenched his fists.

"And why should I?! Not like you'd even bother trying to find him anyways!"

"What was that?!" The Ice-Make Mage was held back by Cana.

"That's enough you two!" Erza yelled at the duo. "If he would want anything it's for us to not worry and move forward."

"If you're so sure of that, then why are you crying?" Natsu looked away from the girl. Not wishing to see the tears of someone he admired.

Her eyes widened and she quickly brushed her tears off. She couldn't let that bottle burst. Not here. Not now.

The pink haired boy pushed her hand off of his shoulder.

"He'd do the same for us anyways." Natsu glanced back one last time before walking off. Though the meaning was immediately trampled on as he bumped into something and fell on his ass.

"What's your deal wise guy?!" Natsu chided the individual in front of him and rubbed his rear end.

"I dunno, what's the deal with your spatial unawareness? You getting that from Gildarts?" The man dryly spoke at Natsu.

The boy looked up at the figure as his eyes widened.

Before him was the familiar face of Matt. Granted said face still had a few bandages on it and his right arm was in a sling. His tattered and ruined purple jacket was draped over his shoulders as he clutched his bag in his free hand.

Natsu's face lit up, "Matt!!!" He hug tackled the teen.

"GUHYGHA!" The teen spat out in immense pain from his still broken ribs and heavily bruised torso.

"N-Natsu!" Erza staggered a bit in shock before quickly pulling the boy off of Matt.

The teen coughed a bit and sat up with a groan.

"Man. I'm gone a month and you guys act like it's been a friggin decade." He sighed over the fact standing would be a pain in the ass now.

That is until a hand was offered to him.

"Good to see ya back." Gildarts smirked.

Matt looked at him a moment before giving a chortle.

"Good to be back."

He accepted the help and was up on his feet in no time. The S-Class mage placed Matt's bag in his room as he sat at the bar.

"So, how'd it go?" Makarov asked with a sideways glance.

"What? You didn't read the paper?" The teen eyed the publication.

"Of course I did, but a first-person account is infinity more valuable." The old man bluntly responded.

A bitter laugh exited Matt's lips.

"Sorry, not gonna talk about that with kids all around us jaded folk."

A few "Awwws" came from the group of people younger than Matt.

Makarov looked at him and nodded in acceptance.

"Did you fight anyone strong?!" Natsu chimed in.

"Heh, do I look like I fought weak guys?" Matt grinned at the boy.

"What did happen to your arm Big Brother?" Kagura asked beside Matt.

Matt remained silent for a moment before bursting out into laughter. "I just shattered it, no real biggie y'know?"

Some people immediately brushed off the concern they'd had, others didn't quite understand the full implication of that injury and a few eagle-eyed people saw through the lie.

"Is it gonna get better?" Brandish asked with genuine concern.

"Hmph. Of course it will, don't underestimate me ya know!" He put on an air of confidence to ease their minds. It seemed to work on them as they sighed in relief.

"Well now that we're passed that," Makarov started, "It's time for celebration!"

"""YEAH!"""

And thus, like many other nights, Fairy Tail parties in honor of their family being complete once again.

* * *

To say the council was running at a thousand miles a second would be the understatement of the millennium. One of their big 3 captains was dead along with 2 regional captains. Another regional captain quit and the last one may never fight again. The only positive they exited this conflict with was the complete eradication of Lucius and all of Naraka's prisoners.

"Man, what a mess." Chairman Crawford sighed as he stamped the last document of this pile.

Lucius had gotten his wish. There'd been a massive spike of slave rebellions and oppressed people fighting back, mage and human. At the current rate, Bosco wouldn't last much longer, especially if the rumors of a massive organization of anti-slavers were true.

Right now he was really wishing the king of Pergrande was available. With his army, crushing such rebellions would be child's play. Unfortunately he'd gone completely dark for well over a year now, pushing into two. Draculos hadn't reported in on his investigation into the matter for a bit now too.

And to top it all off, the head captain of Eastern Ishgar, Julius Czar, had also gone dark this past week. Having one half of your people in charge of oversight die was one thing, but the other half going missing was another entirely.

"It looks like you may have to step up." He spoke to a man who'd just entered the room.

This man looked to be in his early sixties with long white hair slicked back, pale skin and piercing red eyes, the full albinism look. Even if he seemed frail, anyone worth their salt would cower before this man, a silent pressure of unadulterated magic power was barely contained by him.

"Head Captain Wilhelm."

* * *

"I can do work y'know." Matt commented as he sat at the bar, idly drinking some water.

"You need to focus on healing." Gildarts spoke as he mopped the floors, actually doing manual labor for once.

An annoyed sigh escaped Matt's lips.

"More importantly, now that it's just us." Makarov sat next to Matt, not working either.

"Yeah… I guess you deserve to know the full story." Matt's gaze went downcast as he started to recall the events of that week.

Makarov kept up a better poker face than Gildarts who had broke when he heard about the ultimate fate of the civilians.

"After the funeral I made my way back here. And that's the end of it." Matt sighed after recounting what happened.

"I see, no wonder some details are being omitted." Makarov serious expression didn't falter once.

"Yeah. It'd be chaos if people found out a Bosco slave did all this. Maybe even spark a civil war." Gildarts nodded as he took a swig from the glass of bourbon he needed to press onwards, not knowing that such information had already leaked.

"Your arm. Be honest with me, will it heal?" Makarov looked Matt dead in the eyes.

"… Never to 100% again." Matt gazed at the appendage. "I shattered all the bones in it and ripped the muscles to shreds, the real rough damage was to the nerves. Only reason they didn't amputate it is because the ligaments and tendons could still heal to normal health. So even when it's usable again, I won't be at full strength with it like I was before. Hell, I doubt it'll even be steady anymore."

"I see…" Makarov nodded as he closed his eyes.

"There's nothing that could've been done Master, so don't blame yourself. I took the risk for the chance of victory. If the price is a weaker arm in return for living, then so be it." The teen sternly spoke to Makarov.

"Heh, you're more mature than meets the eye." Gildarts smirked as he ruffled the hair on Matt's head.

"Well someone has to be when our Master is a perverted drunk and you're an old playboy who can't score." Matt grinned as the two older man face faulted at his bluntness. "But, you guys are the best Master and S-Class mage a guild could hope for." He gave a small smile.

The older men returned the smile as they continued bantering for the night.

Unbeknownst to them, a duo of girls had been listening into the conversation from the doors to the guild. A silent agreement was made between them on that night.

* * *

In the tunnels nearby Weiss, the capital city of Bosco, a lone man walked through the dimly lit pathways until he hit a massive hub room. People running all around with papers and lacrima, sharing information and stocking the armory.

"Ah! Mr. Brahm!" A young woman approached the man in a tattered cloak and covered in dirt. "We just got the O.K from a group out by the Seven border, they'll be sending supplies our way in a month."

"Tell them there's no need for haste, just make sure it's done swiftly and quietly. We must protect the secret of our existence at all costs." He nodded at the woman.

"Sir!" Another man rushed over with a wide smile on his face.

"Yes?" The brunette cocked an eyebrow.

"We found it!" He unfurled a folded and tattered piece of cloth in his hands. The familiar flag of Dragon's Bane lay in his hands, the ship it once rested on had been utterly annihilated by Enca's island military. Fortunately for them, the wreckage had followed the tide, which lead it back up the western coast.

Brahm smiled as he displayed the flag to himself and room which had now gone still, everyone smiling in joy.

"Brothers! Sisters! Here is the symbol of which our revenge shall breathe! Here is the symbol upon which we place all of our hope! Here is the symbol where we shall give our lives to see fly free! No longer shall we bend the knee and be complacent! The time for peace talks has long passed. Our only option is to take our freedom! We will take our lives back! We will show them our justice! We shall be free!"

The room erupted into cheers as that symbol would once again, soon be bathed in even more blood.

* * *

Matt yawned as he awoke the next day, still extremely sore from his wounds. Makarov told the boy he'd get some pain medication from Porlyusica later today, so the teen looked forward to that.

He gazed at his coat that was in extremely rough shape. With his arm in it's current state, sewing wasn't gonna happen for a significant while. After sighing and chucking the cloth atop his desk, he stood and went into the main hall. Only to smell... burning food.

"Damnit!" A voice cursed from the kitchen.

Matt raised a brow as he walked over, only to find Mirajane attempting to cook with their oven… it was not going well.

"Damn stove!" She growled at the device. "Burn cooler!"

The teen had a stifle a laugh from how much the poor girl was struggling with the appliances. Granted, it took him a bit to get the function down too. Though he never actually burned any food before, mostly undercooked it at first.

"You need to use the left dial to set how much power you wanna use from the Lacrima and the right for the intensity of the produced flame." Matt chimed in.

"Oh, thank you Matt." She nodded and fixed her mistake.

"... WAIT! MATT?!" She cried out in surprise. Causing her to slip and allow the poor pancake batter to spill onto her.

"Hahaha." Matt laughed at her odd surprise of him. Being covered in batter was just the cherry on top.

"… Shut up." She pouted and crossed her arms.

"Sorry. I'm sorry." He got out between chuckles. "I've just never been able to surprise someone like that before." He wiped his eyes and offered a hand to the girl who took it.

Mirajane sat on a chair as Matt cleaned her off with a rag.

"What are you doing up this early anyways?" She muttered to the boy.

"I'm normally up this early." He somewhat lied. Matt truthfully rarely got long sleep anymore, though ever since the island, it'd been getting better, just _very_ slowly.

He threw the dirty rag in the sink and washed it off.

"What are you even doing here this early? How'd you even get in?" Matt questioned her.

"I… borrowedakeyfromkagurasoicouldmakeyoubreakfast."

Matt blinked at her a few times.

"Would you mind repeating that please, I don't speak Speedy Chipmunk."

The girl blushed, "I borrowed a stupid key from Kagura alright! Thought you'd want breakfast since cooking with a busted arm is hard. Trust me, I know." She looked away from her fellow guild member.

'She wanted to make me breakfast?' He looked at her in surprise. 'I think that's the first time anyone has ever offered to do something for me… that's really sweet.'

Mirajane looked away even furthur as her ears turned red from a growing blush.

"I said that out loud didn't I?" Her vigorous nodding made him awkwardly chuckle.

"Is it true though?" She asked as he finished off cleaning the rag.

"Well, yeah. Most people here really rely on me actually. They had a fully functioning kitchen, but the chef left the guild a year before I joined. So everyone just got food from local restaurants to bring here." He started to wipe her face off. "I'm also the go-to guy for Master if he needs something done."

"What about Gildarts or Laxus?" She questioned the Master's decision.

"Mirajane, it's Gildarts and Laxus we're talking about." He blankly stared at her.

"…Good point." She sighed.

"How did the guild function when I was gone? I'm kinda curious." Matt got the cooking material around her neck.

"Honestly, it was kinda bleak. Like a dark cloud was over the head of everyone." Her tone told Matt she wasn't lying.

"Well that must've been one impressive cloud then." He chuckled.

"Why's that?"

"Because the guild partied during a typhoon once."

"S-seriously?!" She gaped at that fact.

"Mmhm. Happened during my second year here. Real nasty typhoon basically draped the southeastern section of the country. Master decided to keep all of us in the guild until it blew over... uh, pun not intended."

"I think I remember something like that." The girl tried to search her memories.

"Well that would've happened when you were, what? 6?" He guesstimated her age.

"That's right. That was when Elfman and Lisanna got sick. Back when our parents were still…" The girl suddenly paused and looked down, tears beginning to well after thinking of her deceased family members after so long.

'Those wounds are still pretty raw. Poor girl.' He eyed her and set the cloth down.

Mirajane's eyes gaped as she felt Matt hug her. Well, as much of a hug as a one-armed man can give.

"It's alright now y'know? You're with a family that won't leave you now. You also got your wonderful siblings too that love you so much. Letting your guard down around family is perfectly natural. So it's okay to show a little weakness every now and then."

The girl returned the gesture as they stayed like that for a while. Matt was thankful the guild was empty at this time. Ugly crying isn't a thing you wanna show around anyone too often. Her tears weren't ones of a person who lost their parents though, they were the tears of a girl forced to carry a heavy burden for far too long.

After this, Matt helped Mirajane make breakfast for the both of them.

"You did a really good job on the eggs Mirajane." Matt praised her culinary skills.

"Mira." She responded.

He turned to her, "I'm sorry?"

The girl faintly blushed. "Just, call me Mira from now on alright?"

Matt smiled at the girl. "Sure thing Mira."

As he turned back to eat, Matt unfortunately missed the small, genuine smile on the girls face.

From then on, whenever Matt woke up, he'd find his breakfast already made for him each morning.

* * *

"Gotta speed up those reactions Erza." Matt spoke as he girl barely blocked another of his swings.

Despite being injured, Matt was still capable of training. So he continued teaching Erza while keeping his own skills sharp, besides he'd need to help his left arm catch up with his right in terms of dexterity.

The redhead scowled and grunted from the force behind each swing. Even when injured, Matt was still nothing to mess around with. Though the girl was annoyed he pushed himself despite his injury, Erza truly admired that willpower of his. It was something that commanded respect amongst those who have witnessed it.

Erza admired many of Matt's qualities aside from this too. His kindness and ability to connect with others showed a truly good heart. The natural ability he possesses to lead others very cohesively and smoothly. There's also the empathy and desire to help others on a whim if Kagura, Brandish and herself are any indication.

'They're a lot alike…' She thought back to a certain blue haired boy from that hell. Well, to who he was before that day.

"Ow!" Erza cried out as the dull metal blade collided with her shoulder.

"Are you okay Erza? You kinda zoned out there." He looked at her with concern.

"Y-yes! I was just worried Natsu and Gray were fighting is all!" She turned away with a blush due to how close Matt's face was to her own.

He shrugged and stepped back to her relief.

"If you're that worried we can end it today." Matt suggested to her.

"N-no. That won't be necessary. I promise it won't happen again." Her determined expression made Matt nod as they continued.

Erza hissed as Matt rubbed her cheek with alcohol.

"Y'know you should really learn to gauge yourself better." Matt sighed as they cut their session short once more due to Erza zoning out and getting a face smack this time.

"I'm sorry." She looked away dejectedly.

"What for?" He raised a brow in genuine confusion.

"It's just. You spend so much of your own time making sure everyone in the guild is in good spirits. And I just wasted that time you could've used on yourself." She sounded genuinely sad at her own conclusion.

"Erza. Look at me."

She turned to make eye contact with him.

"Yeah, I don't get a lot of "me" time anymore. But do you know why I opt to not do it?"

Erza shook her head.

Matt smiled, "Because taking care of you guys makes me happy. It's as simple as that. Your smiles mean a lot more than you think they do."

Matt grabbed Erza's face gently and used his thumb and index finger to push up her cheeks into a smile.

"You got a really pretty one too you know that? With that beautiful hair of yours and those nice eyes, you're the full package." He joked with her there at the end.

"I-I see." The redhead tried very hard to contain herself.

"Welp, I'm gonna head back now. You do whatever it is you do around here." He stood and headed back to the guild.

Erza placed a hand upon her cheek as a deep blush set in. This had initially been her plan to convince Matt to not push himself so hard with his crippled arm. However he instead turned it around so that she received more compliments at once than she'd received in so many years. At first the poor girl had no idea how to handle his kind of positive reinforcement, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't desperately miss their talks when he was gone.

When she saw what he looked like when he came back, and heard about the truth with his arm, Erza decided to return the favor she feels she owes to him for guiding her out of the darkness by wishing to protect him. Despite that though, she's still the one getting protection from him. She couldn't help him through his trauma, and she can't help him with his physical wounds now either.

It infuriated her, but also made her feel something else. Something she really couldn't describe.

The more she talked to Matt and the more she let her guard down around him, the more that image of a maliciously smiling blue haired boy faded away.

'Maybe, living in the past isn't something I need to do anymore.' She thought with a somber look.

* * *

Matt yawned as he sat at the bar of the guild.

"Jeez. Sorry for being boring." Laxus chided the teen.

"Ah, no, sorry about that. Don't get much sleep these days y'know?" He awkwardly laughed.

"No shit, you look like someone with a bad make up job having those bags." The blonde joked.

"That's one way to put it." Matt chuckled.

"Don't you find it weird." Laxus spontaneously said.

"Find... what weird?"

"That Gildarts is basically the only S-Class we got."

Matt looked away for a moment in thought. "Well almost all of them left for one reason or another just before I joined or not long after."

"Yeah, but the promotion exam used to be annual. At least that's what my pops said."

Matt kept a neutral gaze, but internally flinched. Apparently Makarov told Laxus what really happened about his father for his 17th birthday when Matt was gone. He didn't take it well to say the least.

"Well there should be some kind of reason they stopped. Maybe the guild was too small? We were around thirty members strong when I joined. Now we double that."

Laxus nodded as he sipped his drink. "That's one possibility. But alone that's not good enough."

"True, but even then we're still about eight months off from when they were normally held anyways." Matt reasoned.

"Doesn't mean the Geezer can't plan it out in advance."

"Fair." Matt nodded and sipped on his glass of juice. "What spurred this on anyways?"

"Ain't it obvious? Some of us are ready for S-Class but can't prove our strength without the test."

Matt sat in silence after that. 'He raises a good point. Between him, me, Erza, Mira at the rate she's going, and both Natsu and Gray down the line, we have a lot of people that could hit that level soon.'

He stood up from his seat.

"Where you off to?" Laxus raised a brow.

"To go read." Matt headed towards the Archives.

He stayed down there for five hours. Eventually he came back up with a massive stack of papers he balanced in one hand.

Said paper pile was placed by Makarov at a table he was on.

"Uh, is something wrong Matt?" He looked at the papers with dread.

"Yeah, we need to restart the S-Class trials." His words caused to old man to look on in shock. "It's been over ten years since the last one. Got an excuse for that?" Matt interrogated the man.

"Well," he started, "The S-Class trials are a very important annual part of Fairy Tail."

"Correct."

"The Master of the guild uses it to determine who's ready to take the next step and who isn't."

"Good so far."

"However..."

"Oh boy."

Makarov sighed as he took a swig of alcohol. "The truth of the matter is I hadn't been handling them for a while even when they were still being held."

Matt raised a confused brow, "What do you mean?"

"The person that was in charge of planning the trial and choosing candidates, was Ivan."

The teen's eyes widened in shock, the man who'd nearly killed him all those years ago and had subsequently gotten the boot.

"I'd been itching to retire, so I thought having him handle them would be good practice for the responsibilities a Master has to deal with. However, I'm sure you know why they so suddenly stopped."

A bitter nod came from the teen.

Makarov sighed, "Truthfully it's my fault, I'd been reluctant to start them back up again because each time I'd come up with some excuse. No good members for the position, a lack of immediate funds, vague scheduling conflicts… I just didn't want to take over after Ivan so suddenly."

Matt was at a loss for words, he hadn't expected the older man to not plan them because the scars of realizing his son was practically a murderer still ached.

"I uh… I'm sorry Master." He picked up the papers. "Just forget about it okay." The teen began to walk off.

"Now hold on young man."

Matt froze.

"I've seen very clearly how you've grown, how everyone in this guild has grown so much in these recent years. To say I'm proud would be an understatement of the highest level. I now realize that I have to swallow the past and move forward. It's one thing to cling to memories, but an entirely different one to allow them to halt the magnificent growth of you children." The old man smiled.

"Master…"

"So, consider the trials reinstated." He nodded with vigor. "I suppose we'll need a place to host it though…" Makarov pondered at the first step.

"How about Tenrou?" Matt suggested.

"You want me to host a destructive competition on our guild's sacred ground?" The old man gave a sideways glance to Matt.

"...It's free." He pointed out.

"…Very well." Makarov sighed. "However! I want you to investigate the island and make sure nothing drastic has changed, I haven't visited in many years so I can't be certain."

"Sounds good." Matt nodded.

"Very good. Now Matt."

"Yes Master?"

"Put those papers back."

* * *

Dark chambers lined the catacombs of the grand palace within Pergrande's capital. A figure draped in a black cloak and with their features hidden by a hood, rushed into certain room within the labyrinth of doors.

The figure caught his breath at as he walked into the room dimly lit a light blue. Countless tubes containing unconscious human bodies lined the room. This figure turned to the familiar presence by a desk.

"Your Highness!" He addressed a man draped in a crimson cloak, every feature aside from his odd statue was completely hidden.

"I assume the results have come back." A voice, not quite human came from the shadows.

"Y-Yes sir. As you requested we studied the notes of that demon's notebook."

"And?" A threatening tone sent a chill up the figure's spine.

"T-The findings were accurate. A host body can only sustain its existence should the soul in question match the bodies age both in death age and overall age. Should they not meet, a complete shut down will occu-"

The figure was cleaved into bites from a swipe by the king, a black, bat-like hand with razor-sharp claws briefly became exposed to the light.

"Useless! All of you are useless!" He raged and smashed the table. "How much longer must this suffering continue?! You told me these notes would work Keyes!"

The demon of Tartaros walked out of the shadows.

"Now, now your Majesty, even I am fully unaware to the extent in which that demon's notes went. I can not ask for his assistance either as he is no longer a member of ours." The golden mask didn't emote as a voice, clearly faking emotion, spoke.

"It matters not. No matter how long it takes, I will become whole again!" The crimson king cursed his fate. "I trust you shall deal with that pesky top-ranked Wizard Saint snooping about Captain Czar?"

A man, unnoticed by even the demon, stepped forward. He was young, around his early twenties with olive skin and dark blue hair, his yellow eyes bored holes into the Tartaros member.

"As you wish, your Majesty."

**And that's a wrap!**

**Welcome back everyone to the epilogue of our second arc. Hoo boy has this been someth.**

**This chapter had A LOT of setup for future events, including the reveal of our next arc. Yes, it's the thing a lot of people have asked about: the S-Class trials.**

**Makarov's reasoning is mostly based on me guessing around the time Ivan would've gotten the boot normally, combined with the very obvious implication he was next in-line to be Master. However Matt screwed that all up and made Makarov reluctant to pick up where Ivan left off, the pain of knowing his son was a no-good murderer being too much.**

**The seeds of revolution have been planted in Bosco as now the will the fight burns brighter each day. I suppose now the question is: when will they strike?**

**The King of Pergrande, a figure and an arc I'm very excited to get to after the S-Class trials. That arc will be very different from what I think a lot of Fairy Tail fics go for, so I'm interested to see if it'll crash and burn, or be genuinely interesting in its "experimentation".**

**Matt is going through... some interesting emotions. He's essentially over the whole trauma with Vladimir, however now he's seen people die because of him, now he's truly and whole failed. One more thing is gonna happen to him that'll honestly be a massive blow to his entire perception of this world. We'll get to that very shortly.**

**Also, we've hit the six month mark for this stories publication. That's absolutely insane and i can't thank everyone enough for all the support.**

**Next chapter, a meeting I'm sure all of you are very excited for.**

**Okay. So. You can stop reading now if you want, below this I'm basically gonna go into a discussion into my overall feelings as an author regarding this arc and some other details. So if you don't care, thanks for reading, bye bye.**

**Are they gone?**

**Okay.**

**So I like to think I'm pretty blunt and honest with you guys, I tell it as it is y'know? I wasn't really satisfied with this arc. What do I mean by that? Well whenever I write something new that I have no experience with, I'm kinda indifferent if it turns out not the best. It's my first go with it, so it's fine, I can improve.I just felt like what am I good with and what I do know, just wasn't up to par. I felt like the dialogue could've been better, the fights more interesting, the characters more developed, that whole shindig.**

**Now, this may be in part due to the fact that every single chapter so far with the exception of the cross isles and 90% of the proceeding chapter after them, have been mostly finished for roughly six months. I wrote almost everything up to this point in like... two weeks. Naturally edits and additions aside.**

**I've found that I REALLY don't like this method. Because I can very clearly see differences in how I wrote then versus now. So if anyone noticed that inconsistency, there's your explanation. I've felt like I was just acting as my own editor for six-month ago me, if you understand that. Naturally I'm not adverse to gaining the experience editing my own work, but not genuinely creating something entirely new was... odd. This was all written back before I knew where I wanted to take this story and wrote the story progression by my gut feeling alone, only vague ideas to future arcs in mind.**

**As I mentioned, the Cross Isles were a 100% brand new addition I added in that wasn't originally there. I knew with what I planned on, I needed to develop the dying characters more. So I made that part to help with it along with 90% of the ship interactions. Orginally, we were just gonna head straight to Enca, but I knew that was NOT gonna work and would make some things come off more cheap and forced than they already might've been.**

**After this arc, I only have three more chapters written out. However they're much more in the vein of the first 9 chapters or the pre-second arc chapters which I'm far more comfortable with. Most of the next arc will be like that, small miscellaneous adventutes or things Matt gets into, which I'm honestly excited to _write_. It'll be a chance for me to get my bearings and ease into the next phase of this story.**

**One other thing I wanted to address are the references. Those are getting toned down pretty heavily. This is mostly because the tone the last three arcs are going for _really_ aren't gonna appreciate them too much. Don't worry, this will not affect Duel Monsters in any way. Also don't worry if you're wondering how Matt's magic will be now, I already thought ahead a while back about that and his fucked arm is a perfect setup for that next branch of growth which I'm also excited to incorporate into fights.**

**This arc as a whole represents a lot. It's basically the end of my original writings with this series back in fucking _October_. It's a big change for Matt's character and ends one phase of his time in this world. Lastly, it's also a sort of send off to when I was writing just for the hell of it. Back when I thought this dumb thing would never be published. Back when I thought I'd get at most like... 10 followers and a favorite by this point. Genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, I thank all of you who enjoy my crummy writing and ideas, (third story dropping soon stay tuned) and I hope you all stick around for many more to come.**

**Now that all has finally been said, I bid you all adieu.**


	27. An Intertwined Destiny

**Hello once again my lovely readers! Time for the usual.**

**Raidentensho: **Why whatever do you mean. There's absolutely nothing that could cause the man with a mission to crack. Nothing at all...

**anzafay21: **We won't get to the proper Bosco Revolution arc for a bit, but it is coming. I'll naturally have dashes of ongoings with it here and there, but for now this arc is primarily gonna be about Matt's character development.

**Smenton: **Sorry to dash those hopes, but I have zero plans for a One Piece fic. Not because I hate it, but because I don't wanna write for something that doesn't have an ending/cutoff point. Makes planning infinitly harder and has the serious chance of burnout occurring. Appreciate the kind uh... essay though!

**Alright, with that all done, let's get going!**

Matt and Makarov huddled around the bar counter as the latter was showing the young man where the island in question was and the specifics he wanted investigated.

"It's about a two hour boat ride from Hargeon to the south." He pointed at an area of the map.

"Got it." He nodded, "Anything else I should check on while there?"

Makarov placed a hand to his chin in thought. "Well, make sure the springs are working too. They possess healing properties too so perhaps a dip into one would be good for you right now."

"I'll keep that in mind." Matt rolled up the map and placed stored it in his Requip space. "Guess I'm off then."

Makarov nodded as Matt made his way out of the guild, ready to get this over with.

"Where are you going Big Brother?" Kagura asked him with some concern.

He smirked and patted her head, "Just going on a little errand. I'll be back later."

The girl wanted to speak up. To tell him to take her with him. To ask him to be safe. However, she held her tongue due to the nervous potential of rejection.

The familiar Red-Eyes was summoned as the teen hopped onto the dragon and headed in the appointed direction. Matt could see some concern from the others since he still wasn't in good physical health, but it's not like the island is dangerous... to him. Makarov wouldn't have allowed him to do this if it was. Besides, it's not like anyone would live on an abandoned island that's guild property right?

* * *

"Wow, Master wasn't kidding when he said the island had a massive tree on it." He looked at the colossal tree at the island's heart in awe. It must've been the height of a mountain.

It had been smooth travels to here, though the blistering heat on the journey wasn't appreciated. After training to use fire runes on top of fighting Xanxo and God Serena, heat didn't really phase him anymore. It'd take some crazy fire to get him to even consider sweating.

Red-Eyes landed by the rocky coast of the island. Matt hopped off and immediately felt a wave of relief and empowerment wash over him.

'The hell?' He looked at his free hand, clutching and releasing the appendage. 'I feel really good right now. Is this what Master meant by the islands protection for guild members?' Matt shrugged and pressed on deeper into the island. 'Man, the trees here aren't anything to write off either.' He gazed at the serene forest he walked through without a care.

The overall feeling of the island was actually quite nice. Though an odd nagging feeling was eating away at him. Like something was calling out to him. Matt forced the feeling back as it wasn't that strong.

"Let's see here." He pulled out a list of the local wildlife on the island. His eyes turned to the trees for his first target. "Tenrou Squirrels: check." The name was crossed off the paper.

The next tree cluster held the Chameleon-like Backsye. Matt crossed it off the list. A stampeding noise deeper into the island made him gaze over to a herd of Hodras' charging him.

"Huh. Those things are here too? Wonder if that means the water level was much lower a long time ago." Matt pondered this as he scared the animals off by releasing a bit of his Magic Power, subsequently crossing them off the list.

As Matt walked around, he heard the distinct cries of a flock of birds. The Clippers were flying straight for him.

"Okay is all the wildlife that looks threatening also man-eating? Because that definitely raises some concerns about having kids on this island." Matt sighed as he crossed them off the list and axed off this flocks existence with a few swords shot at them.

The massive sounds of footfalls caught Matt's ears as he turned to see a Doscasaurus eyeing him.

"… Are you just a rejected design for some children's card game?" He questioned out loud as the beast roared and charged him. Matt, still with a hand in his chin, simply raised his leg to meet the skull of the animal.

The Dinosaur's head collided with Matt's foot, the teen didn't budge an inch as the beast fell over, unconscious.

"… Nah, you're more like one of those rejected designs of those dinosaur robots." He walked away. "I wonder if I could make giant mechs with my magic? Be pretty cool to say 'Bite me I have a mech army'… no, if I could've done that I already would have." He sighed at the pointless idea.

Rustling in the trees above Matt lead him to see the cute Curily looking at him curiously. "Ya gotta wonder if one of these cute animals is gonna go all berserker on my ass." He stopped and put a hand to his chin. "Though if the guild could utilize it..." Matt decided to file that thought under the Later Projects tab of his brain.

Next on the list was…

"…" Matt's eye twitched as he observed the Kubina Gamaru staring at him.

"…" The beast was also silent, staring at the teen.

"Look here you-" Matt started.

"Look here you." The beast spoke.

Matt looked at it in surprise.

'This thing can replicate human speech?'

As this slowly dawned on him, a cheshire grin crept onto his face as he decided to give this animal some needed culture education.

Once that was over, Matt just had one animal left to check on. To his ease, said animal was currently charging at him with the intent to devour.

"I'm too old to deal with this shit." Matt sighed and waved his hand which held a card.

The beast stopped dead in its tracks as Blue-Eyes terrified the giant Rollidillo back into its hole. Matt sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Who the hell names a giant man-eating animal Rollidillo? I mean calling it Death Gazer or Chasm Beast would be overkill, but there's gotta be something better." Matt thought out loud as he walked passed the cowering beast. It swore that Blue-Eyes pointed at its own eyes and then at it.

The teen gazed at the list. "Looks like that's all the native wildlife. So the ecosystem seems intact and undisturbed." He nodded in satisfaction before putting the list away.

"Now to find those hot springs." Matt gazed at the map. "If I were an old guild and wanted magic healing baths, where would I put them." The teen paused. "Wait, old guild? Where the hell did that come from?" He scratched his head in confusion. "Guess I read about it in a book. Huh, weird time for my head to recall that." He shrugged and walked off towards where he thought said springs would be.

'Gotta admit, outside the man-eating animals and whatever the fuck those giant guys are, this palace is pretty nice.' Matt genuinely enjoyed the atmosphere this island brought. It definitely made him feel at peace. Not that the guild didn't, but the feeling of being an outsider there was still just too overwhelming at times.

After a few more minutes of walking, the sound of running water caught his ear. He increased his pace and eventually found the springs. The greenish water and herbs floating on the surface definitely told the teen this was the spot.

"Well. It could also not be…" He pondered how to test it before shrugging. "Well, you only live once… unless your life is technically restarted in another world. Does that mean I've lived two lives or is this like a respec in a video game?"

Matt decided that would be best asked for later and embraced his inner reckless teen by skinny dipping in the spring.

He hissed as the water made contact with his wounds, the feeling identical to medicinal alcohol. Matt held his right arm as he eased himself into the green fluid. Once his lower half was submerged, he'd grown used to the stinging sensation.

"I imagine these herbs help the process." Grabbing one, Matt rubbed it on his face and hissed in pain, dull stinging sensations overlapped with his wounds.

Once that was done and he'd rubbed every wound with the plant, he sighed and gazed at his damaged arm. "Shame all the damage was inside. Otherwise this might've helped more." A bitter chuckle left his mouth as the teen turned to look up at the sky.

He stared at the vast blue, as if in longing to reach it. The teen then fully submerged himself in the water for a moment.

"Ha!" A loud exhale came from Matt as he rubbed his face. His dual-colored locks stuck to his head and shoulders.

"Should probably get a haircut soon." He twirled one of the locks between his fingers. "What do you think Kagura-" The teen looked over to where the girl normally would be before remembering. "Oh. That's right, I'm alone here. Heh, stupid me." A sad smile made its mark on the teens face.

Deciding being in this bath was now doing more bad than good, he exited it and dried off with a towel he kept in his hammer space. After putting his clothes back on with a bit of difficulty, Matt had prepared to leave the island.

A gust of wind and an odd gut feeling made Matt turn his head. The teens eyes widened in shock as he saw what was there, looking right at him.

'Is that a person?' He questioned as he gazed at the figure hidden in the trees.

Said figure noticed the teen's gaze and ran away.

'I can't risk having an unknown person being here for the Trials.' Matt then gave chase to this person.

Their chase spanned a good portion of the island. Over large rocks, they hopped and bounded across small gaps. Matt didn't know if this person knew the island well, or was some mugger that'd just arrived.

'This guy is fast!' Matt exclaimed as he hopped over another large root.

Thankfully fortune favored the dimensional traveler today, as the figure tripped and fell down a hill, tumbling rather harshly to the field below. Matt reached the top of the hill and gazed down at the figure on the ground.

He had black hair, fair skin and wore black robes with a gold trim and a white toga.

"Who are you?" Matt questioned as he slowly got closer to the figure.

"Stop! Don't come any closer!" The man yelled at Matt.

"Look buddy, I'm not gonna hurt you if you just explain a few things to me." Matt defensively raised his hands.

"No! I'll hurt _you_ if you don't run!" His cries caused Matt to pause.

'That… didn't sound like a threat. That was a genuine warning.' The teen went on full alert.

"I don't know who you are, but if you got a problem then maybe I can help." Matt continued his slow and cautious approach.

The boy clutched his head as darkness swirled around him. He cried in agoninzing pain as a wave of darkness overtook the area, sending Matt backwards to the dead grass.

His consciousness slipped away as the last thing he saw were the tears of the person in front of him.

"This feels… familiar." Matt thought as he drifted in the vast, unending darkness.

"Can't be heaven, and this is a weird punishment for hell. Though drifting aimlessly for eternity is probably hell to most people."

No matter where his gaze fell, it was darkness that greeted him. Like a cocoon of everlasting despair had ensnared his very soul.

"Purgatory sounds right. Or, maybe there is no afterlife and I'm just an aimlessly wandering soul now."

As he voiced his thoughts, a bright light shined above him. He covered his eyes and averted his gaze at the light grew brighter and brighter.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The ravenette cried as he gazed at the fallen form in front of him.

"Uuugh. Man talk about a rough landing." Matt groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head, his noggin hitting the ground quite hard.

The man in front of him was immediately silenced and looked at the teen in the purest shock he's ever seen.

Matt sat up and coughed a bit before getting a better look at the person in front of him. 'Huh. Looks familiar. Wonder where I've seen him before.' He thought briefly, but brushed it aside as it could he his head messing with him.

As Matt was thinking, the man slowly approached him. He placed his hands on Matt's face.

"You're... warm." He muttered.

"Uhhhh." Matt looked at him oddly.

The man's hand fell to Matt's neck, checking his pulse.

"You're heart, it's beating." Another mutter from the man.

"Y-yes, it would be quite a challenge to speak if it didn't." Matt remarked awkwardly.

The man then pinched Matt's cheek.

"Ow!" He cried out and slapped the man's hand away.

"You feel pain."

"Well of course I do jackass!" He rubbed his cheek and looked at the man.

Matt fell silent as he saw something in this man's eyes. A faint light glowing once more in them, like a candle standing strong in a blizzard.

"You're… alive." He muttered.

The teen opted to remain silent.

"You're alive." His voice grew louder.

Before his very eyes, Matt saw a person's very soul emerge from the darkness.

"You're alive!" He cried out and immediately hugged the teen so tightly it hurt. The man terrified of the prospect that if he let go, this person would be just another memory.

The man kept saying those words over and over as Matt felt tears on his shoulder.

"There there." He awkwardly hugged the man back. "Man I normally do this for girls, kinda weird doing it with a guy for once… wait did I just innuendo myself?" Matt thought out loud.

After a moment, the man let go and wiped his eyes.

"Okay dude, I'm pretty sure that counted as first base in some countries and you haven't even taken me out for dinner yet. So I'd appreciate an explanation as to what the hell just happened." Matt inquired to the man.

"How?" The man sniffled.

"How what?"

"How did you survive the curse?!" The man demanded an answer.

"Curse? You mean that black wind?" The nod of the man confirmed it to him.

"I mean… sure it knocked me out for a bit, but that's about it. Sorry dude, you gotta work on your magic a bit before calling it a curse." He shrugged and looked away from the man.

"N-no, you don't understand. That was _not_ magic." His tone turned very serious. "That was a curse placed upon me by Ankhseram."

"Ankhwhonow?" Matt raised a brow at the man.

"He's the God with dominion over life and death. This curse is the Curse of Contradiction." He looked at his hand. "It kills everything around the person if they cherish life. But if they don't cherish life, it won't take it away."

Matt looked around and saw how all the trees and grass had died for a good twenty feet.

"So it doesn't make sense how you managed to avoid a curse like that." The man rationalized to Matt.

"I see what you mean." He pondered how he was immune to a curse from a God of life and death of this world... wait. "It can't be…" The teen put a hand to his chin.

"What's the matter?" He asked Matt.

"Well…" The teen sighed as he glanced at this man, something in him telling him that this person was trustworthy. Something told him that the individual in front of him would never tell a soul something personal of an unknown associate. "Can you… keep a secret?"

"Of course." He nodded in response. Genuinely curious at this point.

"I'm... not exactly from around here." He sheepishly looked away from the man.

"What does that mean?" A brow was raised in confusion.

Matt sighed, "I mean I'm not from this world."

The man's eyes widened.

"I woke up in this world about ten years ago. Don't know how I got here or why my appearance had changed and turned into a five year-old."

As Matt was talking, the man nodded along.

"I see now!" He cried out, spooking Matt. "Your soul doesn't follow the laws of this world! Meaning any curses that could damage it are rendered moot!" The man stood and paced with a smile.

"Oookay. That's uh, cool, I guess."

"You guess?! With this kind of ability so many things could be done!" He cried out in joy as he muttered out words in rapid fire afterwards.

"So uh, I get the excitement and all, but could I get a name? Otherwise I'm gonna have to start calling you Mr. Bipolar."

The man stopped and face palmed himself.

"Of course, how rude of me." He awkwardly chuckled and extended his hand. "I'm… Zeke."

"Matthew Atlas, but everyone-" Matt started but got cut off.

"Calls you Matt. Got it." He nodded with a small smile after finishing Matt's sentence. "So, what is this world of yours like?"

"Hoo boy… ya got some free time? This'll be a long one."

* * *

The duo sat down by the cliff overlooking the horizon.

"Electronic devices that can send messages across the world in a second? Interesting." Zeke smiled as Matt told him about his world.

"Yeah, technology was developed at a ridiculous rate. In a hundred years we went from crummy cars, shoddy phones and coal power to touch screen devices, cars that go hundreds of miles an hour and nuclear energy."

"Nuclear energy?" Zeke questioned.

"Sorry, that's something I'm taking to the grave with me. That kind of power should be in no one's hands." Matt ended that thought immediately.

"Of course." Zeke nodded in agreement. "So I take it those cards are your magic?" He eyed the deck box.

"Mmhm." Matt pulled out a card. "I pump these cards with some Magic Power and poof! The Monster in it comes out."

Zeke's eyes narrowed, "I've never heard of that magic before…"

"Well that's not surprising, apparently I'm the first guy to use this magic period. Woke up with this deck box on me. Once I summoned Dark Magician, the others just followed after him." Matt explained with a small smile.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that."

"Ask away." Matt placed the card back in the deck.

"Well, something you said caught my ear." Zeke started.

"Mmhm."

"You said you can't recall certain memories right." Matt nodded, so he continued. "You also mentioned how you just knew that the body you woke up in was five right."

"Correct." He nodded as he followed along.

"Well. What if you were here for those five years and don't remember?"

Matt immediately went to dispute that, but stopped. His expression twisted from confusion to legitimate deep thought.

'There's no way. But, how did I wake up in that forest? How was I wearing any clothes? Why did I have my deck box on me then?' More questions rose up in Matt as he thought it out.

"It's weird isn't it?" Zeke looked at the ocean. "Even when we think we have everything figured out and can focus on one thing, some minor detail we brushed over comes back to strike once more." A bitter smile made it's way on to his face.

"Yeah… no kiddin'." Matt absentmindedly spoke as he racked his brain.

"By the way," Zeke changed the subject, "What happened to your arm?"

"Hm?" Matt looked confused for a moment before realizing what he meant. "I busted it up pretty good in a fight. Can't heal it with medicine since the process is too delicate for anyone to heal and not potentially mess up my arm even worse."

Zeke stared at the arm and reached out with his hand.

"What are you- whoa." Matt was about to question the man as a golden light came from Zeke's palm and enveloped Matt's arm. A warm, pleasant sensation overcame it as he could feel the bones and muscles reconnect. It wasn't even remotely painful, hell it was downright enjoyable. It died down after a moment and Zeke wiped his brow.

"It's been a while since I used magic to help someone." A genuine smile came from the man. "It was nice."

Matt moved the appendage in shock. The permanent nerve damage was still there, but the entire healing process was immediately skipped over.

"Thank you." Matt spoke as he stared at his arm.

"No, thank you." Zeke shook his head. "This is the least I can do in comparison to what you've done for me."

"What do you mean?" Matt looked over to the other teen, smiling and gazing at the sun.

"For so many years now, everything I every valued either died by other causes, or by this curse." He scowled as he looked at the ground, "But then you came along. The one who lived. You've given me hope that maybe, just maybe, I'm not alone anymore."

Matt looked at him and understood what he was saying all too well.

"Loneliness sucks doesn't it?" The teen muttered as he gazed at the horizon.

"Yeah." Zeke nodded as he joined Matt at looking ahead. "If you want, I could try and look through your memories. See if anything odd sticks out."

Matt gazed over to the teen surprised, but nodded, eager to get his answers or at least know if nothing is wrong.

"Alright then." Zeke stood and walked behind Matt. He placed his hands on Matt's temples. "This may feel weird, but bear with it."

Matt silently nodded as he felt said weird feeling. Ever hear a super loud version of an insect crawling and think it's in your ear so your body cringes? Yeah it's basically that. The King did a full-body cringe with a crumpled expression as Zeke worked away.

Zeke's eyes closed shut tightly as the magic forced him to shift though any memories Matt may have hidden away by choice or outside interference.

After a moment, the spell ended and Zeke stepped back with heavy breaths.

"Well," Matt rubbed his ears vigorously, "Anything of note I wouldn't know?"

Zeke remained silent for a moment before shaking his head.

"I see." The teen's expression was downcast for a moment before he perked up. "Well at least I know there's nothing locked away up there. Means I just gotta keep looking for my answers."

Matt stood with a stretch.

"Well, I better get back to the guild. Don't wanna worry Master or anyone." He turned to face Zeke. "Thank you."

Zeke smiled at the teen.

"I promise I'll come visit once in a while. We can catch up and chat." He smiled at the man.

"Yeah. I'd like that." Zeke nodded in gratitude.

Matt nodded and summoned Red-Eyes. He waved goodbye to the man before flying off to the mainland.

Zeke watched him go and waved goodbye. Once he was out of sight, Zeke lowered his arm.

"I'm sorry Matt. But no one should every have to relive that…" His expression turned sorrowful as he gazed in the direction of his friend. His first friend since her…

* * *

"I'm back!" Matt kicked the door to the guild open. A rise of mugs and greetings came from the guild as Matt walked towards the bar.

"Matt! Look at what I found earlier!" Natsu ran over with a giant egg in his hands.

The teen raised a brow, "So you gonna cook that or something?"

"Of course not!" Lisanna chided the teen as she approached. "Natsu and I are gonna raise it!"

"That's right!" He confidently smiled at the girl.

"What? Like parents?"

"Yup!" They both nodded in excitement

"Hoh? I see now." Matt nodded with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

"See what now?" The little girl asked curiously.

A devious smirk rose on Matt's face.

"You better send me invitations to that wedding in a few years."

Both of the younger duos faces became more like tomatoes as Matt looked at them with a sly expression.

"Sh-Shut up Matt!" Natsu got out in spite of his embarrassment.

Matt belly laughed as he walked away from the pair.

"Looks like you're in good spirits my boy." Makarov spoke after taking a swig from his mug.

"Well what can I say." Matt rolled his right shoulder, "Those springs work wonders."

"It… seems so." The old man eyed Matt's arm, genuinely surprised that such a method worked. "How'd the rest of it go?"

"Fine." The teen sat down, "The ecosystem is alive and well without any disturbances. Though the number of animals that tried to kill me is a bit worrying."

"Bah, this is a promotion to S-class anyways. Handling some primitive man-eaters should be no problem." The man wrote off the teen's concern.

Matt sighed, "Fair enough I guess."

"Then if that's everything, I suppose preparations need to be prepared for December." Makarov nodded and walked off to head into his office.

The teen sighed and walked behind the bar to make himself a non-alcoholic drink.

Kagura plopped herself atop a seat and smiled at Matt. Noticing the older teen using his dominant arm once more caused the smile to deepen.

"Hey Big Brother!"

The teen gazed over and smiled, "Hey there Kagura, you want something?"

"Hmmm." She placed a hand to her chin, "Whiskey on the rocks!"

"When you're older." He immediately responded in a dry tone.

She pouted, "That's what you told me a year ago."

"Yup. And you're still the little one here." He teased the girl and ruffled her hair. The girl giggled and smiled widely at the act.

"Whiskey on the rocks Matthew." Bransish sat down and excalimed, a bored expression on her face.

The duo looked at her with a dull expression.

"Brandish you're still too young for that." The teen remarked to her.

"But Big Brother~!" She cried out.

"No means no."

The greenette pouted and crossed her arms. A Shirley Temple was slid her way, causing her to pull a 180 and immediately start sucking the sweet beverage down.

"Same as always." Kagura smiled as her own drink, an Arnold Palmer, was set in front of her.

"Yup." Matt chimed in after his Roy Rogers was finished.

"Hey Big Brother." Kagura spoke up nervously.

"Hm?"

"Are you… gonna have to do more scary things like you did on that last job?" Her concerns for his safety were finally voiced out.

"… I don't know." He responded completely honest. "Maybe they will, maybe they won't."

"Don't you get scared?" Her eyes met his own.

Matt remained silent for a moment, "Yeah. Yeah I do Kagura. There's some real scary people out there. Outside the confines of this unbelievably peaceful little city is a big world. And this big world has a lot of very bad people. People that enjoy hurting others. People that hurt others for money. People that hurt others because they just want to." Various images of the people he's fought over the years flashed in his mind.

"But." He raised a finger and lightly smiled. "There's even more good people in it. You're in a guild filled with a small percentage of them." Matt gestured to the other members of Fairy Tail as they started to beat the piss out of each other… it was out of love though.

"Will I… eventually meet some of those bad people." She asked him with a hint of fear.

"… Yes. Yes you will Kagura. It's just how things are for Mage's like us." He reached over and patted her head. "But don't think for even a second that you'll ever be alone." His words slowly filled her with hope. "Even when you think you're alone, I'll always be there. The girl who acts more mature than she is will be too."

"Hey!" Brandish cried out.

"All those snooping idiots behind you will be there."

"""Hey!""" Those listening in secret cried out.

"So whenever you feel like you're alone. Whenever you think you're stranded." He pointed to her heart. "Just remember the people you hold dear in there. And everything will be alright."

The girl smiled, "Thanks Big Brother."

He patted her head, "It's my job."

After this, Matt noticed a table ablaze in the corner of the hall. A group of people scrambled around to put it out.

"Huh. They're new." Matt commented at the sight.

"Yeah, that's Judeau Caristio and his group of friends. They joined not long after you left earlier." Brandish finished her drink with a satisfied exhale.

"I see." He nodded and left it at that.

"Hey Big Brother." The Greenette spoke up.

"Hm?"

"Do you think we could go on a job together?"

Kagura did a spit-take at her words as Matt shrugged.

"Sure, if nothing pops up tomorrow we can do it." He nodded at the girl who used a mask of indifference to hide her genuine excitement.

"B-Brandish! I thought we agreed to do a job together first?!" The purple-haired girl cried out in betrayal.

"But you aren't Big Brother."

The very soul of the poor girl shattered after hearing those words.

"It's alright Kagura, you can come along if you want to." The teen patted the girl's head in reassurance.

Brandish pouted, but didn't refute the words of her older brother.

"Now then," he clapped his hands together. "Who wants dinner?"

* * *

Brandish skipped along the road ahead of Matt and Kagura. The trio were currently heading out to deal with a group of bandits terrorizing a small settlement.

"Ah this takes me back." Matt nostalgically smiled.

"Did you do these kinds of jobs a lot?" Kagura gazed up at him.

"Yup! This was my bread and butter for a while until I moved up to B-Rank." He remembered the sheer number of bandits that got their asses kicked by Dark Magician Girl and snickered.

"So if Big Brother can do it, I can too!" Brandish puffed out her chest.

"Oh? And here I thought I heard you nervously muttering about how you could impress Big Brother on this job last night." Kagura smugly smiled at the girl.

"Th-That's not true!" She stuttered out with a blush.

Matt sighed at the antics of the two girls that made themselves out to be his younger siblings. It'd been a long time since he'd had this kind of relationship with others. Though it's not like he lacked the experience, his little siblings back home definitely gave him that. He was slightly annoyed being called such a formal title by the girls. Normally his brats back home... uh...

Matt stopped in his tracks.

'What… were their names again?' He searched his brain desperately for the information. 'R-Right! It was Joshua and Iris… r-right? No! Those have to be it…!'

"Big Brother?" Kagura looked up to him with concern.

Matt shook his head and gazed at her, "Y-Yes?"

"You just stopped all of a sudden. Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, just remembering if I did something or not last night is all." He chuckled to try and relive the tension.

Kagura nodded and played along, but she wasn't stupid. Watching Matt for long enough taught her a lot of things. One of these things being how to read and tell when someone is lying. Matt was a true master of hiding any minute tell of his body, but when caught off-guard like he just was, he rubbed his palm with his fingers nervously.

'What's going on Big Brother? Does this have to do with that mission?' She thought out in worry for him. While Kagura did dearly miss Simon, Matt was also just as important to her, especially since he was here. So of course the girl was gonna do everything she could to protect him. It's why she threw herself into training her magic and swordsmanship.

Hell, Kagura could tell that was the reason Erza was also desperately trying to grow stronger. They'd both seen the slow degeneration of his body over the years. From his left shoulder which she could tell still bothered Matt even after almost six years. To this latest arm wound which she knew would never fully heal.

At the rate he was going, Kagura was slightly terrified of having to roll around Matt in a wheelchair as he simply lost the ability to walk at such a young age. That was something she refused to accept until he was old and grey. She knew his promise to not be stupid anymore was never going to last. But she hoped it would long enough for her to be strong enough to protect him.

Eventually the trio reached the village in question. It was near Mt. Hakobe so it was rather chilly out. Cold winter air stabbing the exposed skin of the trio.

The second Kagura gave a shiver, a warm embrace was around her. She gazed up to see Matt walking ahead, lacking his distinct purple jacket. Kagura smiled and held it closer, still feeling his warmth. It comforted the girl second only to his heartbeat.

"So do you know where to go?" He asked Brandish as she looked around the square of the town.

"Of course, I just need to find the mayor and get the specifics from him." She confidently spoke and gazed around. Her eyes eventually falling on an approaching man. He wore a massive brown coat and a warm hat. His pale skinned face and impressive beard being the only parts of his body exposed to the cold.

"I assume you three are the wizards?" They nodded and made the man sigh in relief. "Thank goodness, I was concerned our job may get looked over for a bit. Now allow me to point you in the right direction."

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay Brandish? I think I see icicles growing from your nose." Matt asked the girl who marched ahead of him and Kagura.

"I-I'm f-f-fine! A l-litlle cold i-is n-n-n-nothing!"

The other two sighed as they scaled the mountain. According to the mayor, the bandits have taken refuge in an ice cave after booting out some Vulcan's.

Brandish didn't want to waste any time by wearing warmer clothing and insisted they get the job done quickly. Matt and Kagura went along with it since she had to learn her lesson sooner or later.

Eventually the group reached an uphill climb that lead to a cave.

"B-B-B-B-Bingo." Brandish's attempt at a smirk was moreso her mouth trembling to one side. "Y-You two h-h-hang back."

Kagura and Matt nodded, but stayed at the ready.

Brandish walked up to the entrance of the cave as confidently as her shivering form could muster. The second she charged in, the duo rushed up the hill and observed from the entrance.

"Well, at least she can fight even in her condition." Kagura sighed as Brandish shrunk a sword coming towards her and shrunk the foot of the men around her, causing them to slip and slide all around the cave.

The Macro mage ducked below a punch and caused an icicle she grabbed to grow upwards, striking the man and causing him to crack the ceiling.

Matt scowled as he gazed at the damaged roof to the cave. The damage wasn't superficial, but it wasn't structurally shattering.

Brandish smirked as she saw only one member of the bandits remained.

"Damn brat!" His hands glowed a bright orange.

"Oh no." Matt perked up as he recognized the type of magic.

"Hmph, don't get too cocky." She shrunk his feet, causing him to fall face-first to the icy ground.

"Brandish, move!" Matt cried out.

"Huh?"

The girl didn't realize the bandit used fire magic akin to Xanxo's. And she didn't realize just how quickly the ice undisturbed by the snow would melt. She and everyone else fell into the pool of ice water that had now become the floor.

"Brandy!" Kagura went to jump in when Matt beat her to the punch.

Without hesitation he dove into the freezing water. His skin stung as the chilling liquid bit into his pores. After a moment of diving, he saw the girl desperately trying to swim up. Unfortunately, she couldn't swim, so she was burning valuable energy and air.

By the time Matt reached her, she was motionless. He wrapped his arm around her tightly and began to swim up. Partway up, he suddenly felt much lighter. In fact he felt so light that he and Brandish were being lifted out.

Sweat beaded down Kagura's face as she lifted Matt, Brandish and about thirty gallons of water too. This was easily around five hundred pounds, the most she's ever lifted so far. But she had to help her family as much as she could.

Eventually the bubble containing her siblings came out and landed nearby, the duo being thoroughly drenched in the ice water.

"Are you guys okay?!" She rushed over as Matt laid Brandish on her back.

"She took in water, I gotta do CPR." Matt tilted the girls head back and opened her mouth.

Kagura blushed as his lips met Brandish's, the older teen filling her lungs with his own air. He then pressed his hands onto her chest a few times.

"C'mon damn you." He swore as he went in another time.

Kagura looked on with extreme concern, but most of all helplessness.

After the third time, Brandish coughed up the water in her lungs. Matt patted her back as he sighed in relief.

The other girl ran over and hugged the girl.

"Thank goodness." She spoke in relief as she felt truly how freezing the girl must by, and by extension, Matt too.

He gazed over to the cave and stood. As he approached the edge, he let out a breath as the bodies of the bandits floated in the water that was already starting to freeze again.

"Let's go." He spoke as Kagura nodded. Red-Eyes was summoned and carried to trio back home. Matt would simply send a message to the mayor that the job was done later.

* * *

"Aa-choo!" Brandish sneezed as she laid in her bed.

As expected, her actions had caused her to get sick.

"Here you go!" Lisanna handed her a tissue which she silently took.

The girls of the guild took turns keeping an eye on her. Lisanna volunteered first so she could go back to the egg immediately afterwards.

"Are you okay?" Lisanna looked at the girl with some concern.

"… I'm fine." Given that Brandish wasn't making eye contact and muttered out her words, Lisanna knew she was lying.

"Its pretty amazing though," Lisanna started with a smile, "How Matt saved you and everything. It was exactly like what Mira would've done for me or Elfman. He really cares about you."

The girl from another continent looked down at the bedsheets as her grip tightened.

"He wouldn't have had to save me at all if I wasn't so reckless."

"That doesn't matter," she shook her head, "What matters is that you're alive and well."

"But I wouldn't be if he wasn't there!" Brandish yelled. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes. "I wanted to show him that I could handle myself. That I could take on any challenge thrown my way so he wouldn't have to worry." She bit her lip in frustration. "And look where that idea got me: needing him to risk himself to save me."

"Brandish…" Lisanna looked at the girl sadly. She could relate. While her magic was nowhere near as strong as Brandish's, she still made that promise to protect her sister. Yet Mira was so much stronger than her that it was a pointless endeavor to ever catch up.

"He has to deal with so much, I thought if he saw me handle myself, he wouldn't have to worry anymore."

"That's his job though." She smiled at the girl and shook her head.

Brandish silently looked up at her.

"It's the job of older siblings to watch out for their younger ones. To pick them back up when they fall and to worry for their safety and wellbeing." Lisanna smiled fondly as she remembered how Mira took care of them after their parents died. How even when she hurt so much after abandoning their home and being labeled a demon, she made sure they were fed each day.

"But that's not fair to them!"

"It isn't, but it's a job they accept with a smile."

"Then… what should I do?" Brandish practically pleaded to the girl for an answer.

"Live."

Brandish's eyes widened at the answer. Tears fell down her cheeks as she wept with Lisanna cradling her head.

* * *

Matt rubbed his aching temples as he leaned against the bar.

"You okay Matt?" Gray sat across from him.

"Yeah, just nursing a headache is all." Matt half-lied.

It'd been a couple days since the mission with Brandish, and that unfortunate swim in ice water had done a number on him. Matt desperately tried to fight off the effects as he didn't want to worry anyone. Though it didn't help he'd been doing way too many mental gymnastics with a memory he slowly realized, to his horror, was fading away.

Unfortunately, the eyes of a certain redhead had grown far sharper to see through even his crippled master-level deception.

"Let me feel your forehead." Erza waved him over with a scowl.

"I told you Its nothing major."

"Then this shouldn't be an inconvenience at all." Her simple rationality made Matt realized he'd subconsciously trained these kids way too well.

The redhead placed her palm to his forehead, her eyes resembled saucers.

"You're red hot!" She exclaimed.

"I'm fine," he calmly spoke, "Believe me when I say I've dealt with worse." The teen tried to escape, only to feel Erza's hand grip his wrist.

"And you won't be dealing with worse anymore as long as I have a say." She scowled at the teen. Erza knew her threats had no effect on the teen, but she couldn't display the kind of weakness she was truly feeling in front of everyone.

Matt yanked his hand free and rubbed the wrist, "Trust me Erza, this is nothing." He ended the conversation by walking off towards his room.

"Ah! You must be Matthew Atlas!" An unfamiliar voice spoke to the mage.

Matt turned to see a teen roughly his age with blonde hair and grey eyes. He wore a white jacket with a red undershirt and beige pants with black boots.

"I'm Judeau Caristio! I just joined a couple weeks ago." He smiled.

Matt looked at him for a second before snapping, "Table fire guys."

The blonde flinched, "Geez, not a great first impression."

"Eh," he shrugged, "Most people do some property damage on their first day here. Don't let it get to ya."

Judeau smiled and nodded before walking off. Matt slowly walked over to his room. To the his own misfortune, he was lying considerably about his condition. Between this, his preexisting lack of sleep, paranoia over a shot memory and constant work around the guild, his vision was halfway black by the time he opened the bedroom door and shut it.

Matt only got a single step in before collapsing for the first time in his life.

**And that wraps up another chapter.**

**Apologies for the delay, but trying to write in 100 degree heat in a room with poor ventilation is absolutely impossible. God, heat waves suck.**

**Anyways! We had a lot happen this time around so lets get to it.**

**Matt and "Zeke". Oh boy, this is gonna be fun as we go along. Now as you saw, yes, Matt is immune to the Contradiction Curse for plausible reasons Zeref theorized, but they may not exactly be correct. Regardless, Zeref and Matt are going to have one of the more unique dynamics between canon characters and Matt.**

**Brandish tries her best, but she's still a kid and inexperienced. I'll be doing more with these two later, but I wanted to give a sort of update towards their current feelings with Matt. Kagura does have the legitimate concern of Matt permanently crippling himself with his luck... I will not confirm just how accurate this gets down the line.**

**The biggest thing though: Matt's degrading memory of his old life. I don't think I even need to explain how much this is gonna fuck him up. That's his entire goal, his whole purpose being erased before his eyes, and he can't do a thing to stop it. As for why this is happening, it's not the obvious answer you'd expect.**

**Off topic: I got my third story up and going. It's a Persona 2 Eternal Punishment fic (for now), so give it a look if you don't care about major Innocent Sin spoilers or have already played it. I'm serious about that spoiler part though, there's just a big section that basically says what happened in IS. Not my fault, blame the bonus scenario on the PSP version. More details about it on my profile or in the AN of that first chapter.**

**With all that said and done, I bid you all adieu.**


	28. A Slow Fade to Black

**Well hello once again dear readers! We got the usual real quick before we start**.

**anzafay21: **Uh, short answer: badly. Long answer: REALLY badly. We'll see how things change as this arc goes on.

**Alright, that's done so let's get going!**

Matt's eyes slowly opened, a groan escaping his lips as his pupils roughly dilated.

"What... happened?" He was surprised by how coarse his voice was. Just how long had he been out?

"You collapsed, that's what happened. You've been unconscious for a week." Erza closed the book she was reading. The redhead had pulled up and sat in a chair right by his bed.

"I see." He internally chided himself for making such a display of weakness.

"I swear," the girl sighed. "You're going to make me sprout grey hairs at this rate. You shouldn't be so careless you know, I-we care about you…" Erza stood up. "I'll go let Master know you've awoken. Don't move." She walked out of the room.

"Not like I'm going anywhere." Matt sighed at the congested nose currently plaguing him, causing an alteration to his voice.

After a few minutes, the familiar old man walked in with a sigh.

"You're really stretching the limits of how much a person can worry these days Matthew." Makarov sat down on the chair formerly used by the redhead.

"Not like people here aren't used to it."

"Not necessarily." Matt looked at him oddly. "Every other time we had to worry while you were away. Now we have to worry about you while you're right here with us."

Matt raised a brow, "There's a difference?"

"Of course. Such as instead of worrying herself to sleep, Erza stuck by your side the entire time you were out and even slept here most of the time."

"She shouldn't be doing that. We aren't _that_ close anyways."

The old man raised a brow, "And yet you train her to fight and use magic, talk with her about any problems she may have, and make sure her living conditions are sorted."

"She asked for it, she comes to me and I do that for everyone else that's younger than me. Besides, Erza hasn't even opened up to me about the true core of her problems and it's been years now." He bluntly shot down the older man's argument.

Makarov sighed, "Matthew in all the years I've known you there seems to be two sides to you. The side that cares for others so deeply it doesn't know when to stop. Then the side that desperately keeps everyone at arm's length, terrified of being hurt."

The teen remained silent as the old man continued.

"I understand your fears and insecurities well. Someone in your position would undoubtedly feel the way you do, but you're allowing them to consume you. Believe me when I say I stand by whatever you choose in the end, but-"

"Choose? What am I choosing?" The teen looked at Makarov oddly.

Makarov seemed genuinely confused by that remark. "Matthew, I'm referring to your choice to leave here or go home."

"Oh! R-Right, home. Gotcha." He nodded, rubbing his forehead.

As Makarov looked at the boy, he immediately knew something was wrong. Something was _very_ wrong. The old man wanted to press on the issue, but something held him back. In the near decade the man had known and grown closer to Matt, a boy he considered to be something akin to a grandson, his heart ached as he saw the young boy effortlessly return time after time for years with nothing. No leads, no clues, no ideas, absolutely nothing but wasted effort and restless nights.

He saw the boy's psyche slowly chip away, piece after piece being left behind as he aimlessly pressed forward. For what little of Makarov remembered, he could recall his own father behaving similarly after his mother's death. Searching and searching for the first master, throwing his own life and health away in a search that ultimately killed him.

Two sides raged in a war with each other. Master Makarov: the old man who encouraged his guild mates to find their dreams and happiness; and Makarov Dreyar: the old man who loved every last member of his guild like family. Does he have the right to deny this boy his dream of finding his original family, no matter the cost? Or should he intervene so this boy doesn't become like his own father: someone lost in their own distorted reality.

"Well, I'm gonna get some rest Master." Matthew broke the man's thoughts.

"O-Oh. Very good, rest well." He nodded and hopped off the chair.

"Hey Master."

"Hm?"

"Did I... ever mention where I was from or what my family's names were? It's kinda bugging me." The teen stared at the bedsheets.

"...No, you never brought up specifics with me."

"I see, sorry for stalling." The boy turned to the side, his back facing Makarov.

'I'm sorry, Matthew.' The old man closed the door.

* * *

Matt swung at the tree once more, the blade falling out of his trembling right arm.

"So that's it's limit now." He scowled at the shaking appendage and sighed. "Not even half of what it used to be capable of."

The teen truthfully hadn't expected the damage to be so severe, but it was a small price to pay for living.

"Guess I'll have to change things up then if I wanna keep fighting." He took mental adjustments to his regular training and nodded in satisfaction. Matt's body still disagreed with the prospect of physical training to his regular degree, so he swapped to magical training in the meantime.

It'd only been a day since he woke up, but he'd been sneaking out at night now to train in secret. Sure it was stupid and reckless for a man who had collapsed from exhaustion to exhaust himself more immediately after, but Matt couldn't sit still and do nothing. That meant he would sit there and think. That meant he'd eventually think about some things he really didn't want to think about.

He brushed his mouth and used a tree as support.

"Guess I should head back now." He pushed off the lumber and walked back to the guild.

As he walked back he noticed a person standing in front of the Guild.

"Hello?" He said as he approached the person. "Are you looking for something in the guild?" Matt had his guard up as he didn't recognize the stature of this person from the guild.

The figure noticed him and quickly ran off after placing something down.

Matt didn't feel like giving chase, so he eyed the wooden box they left by the door.

"Could be a package for someone." He eyed the box curiously. "Oooor it's a bomb… yeah I'll take those odds."

Matt called a crowbar with his magic, an item used to traditionally open stubborn boxes, doors and locks, however it'd probably be super effective in the event of a zombie or alien invasion.

He slid the back of the object into the top of the crate and pushed down, driving the lid of the box up. After he repeated this process again, the lid was off.

"A Lacrima?" He lifted the object connected to an ornate golden stand.

"Well it ain't a bomb Lacrima." Matt nodded and threw the empty box in his hammer space. Afterwards he reentered the guild through his window.

After closing his window, Matt placed the object down on his nightstand. "Might as well see if it works." He shrugged and channeled some magic power into it.

Matt stared at the sphere intently for a moment before sighing and ceasing the flow of power.

"Well that surmounted to a whole lot of nothing." He sighed and placed the item in his hammer space.

The teen reached into the bottom drawer of his nightstand and pulled out a notebook with a pen on the side.

He opened it to see various techniques and such he'd come up with in his spare time. Originally these were used solely for training, however, they'd begun to actively be a source of something else.

The teen scanned the pages covered in crossed-off words and scribbles, beginning to write in its pages once again.

* * *

Ultear sighed in relief as she reentered her room.

'That was risky. Using a thought projection like that could've been bad if I was caught.' The girl sat on her bed. 'More importantly though, why was he up at that time?! I specifically went there that late to avoid seeing him! And how the hell did his arm heal so fast?!'

She huffed and gazed over to her own Communication Lacrima, however when she saw the flashing red light on it, she immediately panicked.

'DID HE CALL ME?!' Ultear ran over and checked the orb. Seeing the previous signal did indeed come from Magnolia. 'Shit! I'm gonna look so bad next time we talk now! Should I call him back…?' She stared at the orb before shaking her head. 'No he might be asleep now, that'd be rude of me.'

The girl sighed and resigned herself to simply sleeping for now. Perhaps she'd try tomorrow and use an excuse.

'Wait. Matt is smart, he might see through my excuse…' With that in mind, Ultear instead spent the rest of the night trying to make up a plausible excuse that the sharp teen would buy. Unfortunately for her, this meant she got no sleep.

Let it be known that a sleep deprived Ultear is not pleasant to be around. Such as her changing the morning coffee back into beans and water by mistake, or making any dairy product accidentally curdle. Zancrow must've gotten food poisoning due to this more than a dozen times.

Hades thought of intervening at points. However since this was also inadvertent practice for her magic, and it amused him in the downtime between obtaining Zeref's Keys, he let it be. Never say the man doesn't enjoy the comedic misery of another.

* * *

Matt laid in his bed while gazing at the ceiling. Despite the intent of forcing the teen to rest and recover his strength, sleep still eluded him. Meaning all of this was utterly pointless at the end of the day, and it was starting to get on his nerves.

Though at least this gave him the neccessary time to focus on his new training to adjust his fighting style. This started with Matt writing far more often with his left hand and using a hand gripper to raise the strength in said hand. Unfortunately, due to a constant subtle shake in his right arm, drawing a bow accurately was now completely impossible. Matt would have to figure out a new way to work around that.

Another factor was swordplay with a bad arm. Sure he could just abandon a dual-wield style and use a single sword. However this would limit his overall options and ways to throw off his opponent, which was unacceptable to Matt. Especially since almost every major fight he's been in so far has been against people he needed that variety with to even stand toe-to-toe with.

'Seems the best method would be a heavier sword in one hand and maybe a dagger in the other. Though perhaps a firearm would also work…' He thought for a moment before sighing. 'No, the recoil would hasten the degeneration of my right arms stamina too quickly. A crossbow could maybe work, but reloading would be a pain and it'd be incapable of using my weapon arrows.'

Matt scratched his head and sighed, "Talk about a pain in the ass." He spoke with a tired tone, clearly annoyed by the process.

'I guess I could just stand still and fire off weapons willy nilly, but only using that style ain't gonna do much good. Especially if the people I'm fighting are fast or have good reflexes.'

His gaze turned to his desk where the box containing his loyal companions lay.

'I know you still hold more secrets.' He grabbed the box and stared at it. 'Maybe they hold the answer. Though…'

Matt pulled out the card for Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. A card that should have had twelve stars, but for some reason, only ten were present.

'Things are certainly different.' Between this lower level, Flame Swordsman being a normal monster and the fact other summoning methods are barred off from him told Matt he was still in the dark about more than just how he got here and how he could get home.

"In due time I guess." He placed the card and deck back onto the nightstand. The teen got up and sat at his desk, getting back to his notebook.

A knock came from his door not long after.

"Come in." He spoke to the visitor, eyes still on the book.

A familiar head of green hair poked through the cracked door.

"… Hey Big Brother." Brandish timidly spoke as she closed the door.

"Oh, hey Brandish. You feeling any better?" He smiled at the girl who nodded and stood by the door, closing the notebook. Her gaze was to the ground and her hands behind her back. "Something wrong?" He asked her with some concern.

"…" She remained silent as her gaze was locked to the ground.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Matt reassured her.

She nodded absentmindedly as she didn't budge. Matt felt a twinge of worry worm its way into his heart.

"…'m….rr…." A almost inaudible whisper came from her.

"Excuse me?" Matt raised a confused brow at her.

"I'm sorry…" Her voice raised just enough to be audible to Matt.

"What for?"

Parts of her face twitched, "For making you sick and for making you save me."

"Is that it?" The girl looked up to him, clearly confused. "Brandish you didn't need to apologize for that. I don't blame you for any of that." He smiled at her.

"B-but this is all my fault!" She protested. "I was the one who rushed in blindly! I was the one that had to be saved by you! I'm the reason you're like this now. I-I'm the one that hurt you…" Tears welled into her eyes.

She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. The next thing she knew, a familiar warmth wrapped itself around her body. A familiar heartbeat resounded in her ears. This heartbeat comforted the girl just as much as her mothers once did. Brandish could practically fall asleep on command when hearing it.

"Listen to my words Brandish: Big Brother doesn't blame you at all, so don't get worked up over it okay?" Matt spoke to her as he embraced her.

"I-I just don't want Big Brother to worry anymore."

"I'll always worry Brandish, even if you got stronger than me. I bet you already know the reason why too."

"Because it's your job." She leaned her head in closer to his chest.

"You're a smart girl Brandish." A bitter smile made it's way on Matt's face. "Don't ever change Brandish, you have such a bright future ahead of you."

"You'll be there with me right Big Brother?" She questioned him as she relished in his warmth.

"… Of course I will."

A content smile made its way onto Brandish's face as she fell asleep. This was a stark contrast to Matt's sorrowful face.

A familiar ache overtook his heart as he set the girl down on the bed, returning to his notebook while she peacefully slept.

* * *

For the first time in a week since he'd awoken, Matt was back in the main hall of the guild. He absentmindedly sipped on a glass of water as he sat at the bar.

"Alright! Which one of you took it?!" Natsu stormed into the building with a sad Lisanna trailing behind him.

Everyone collectively raised a brow at the boy, unsure of what he was referring to.

"One of you took the Egg!" He shouted and glared around. "Was it you Gray?!" Natsu accused the nearly-nude boy.

"Huh? What would I even want with your stupid Egg?" Gray raised a brow at Natsu who then turned to Cana.

"Sorry Natsu, I don't know." Cana apologized to him. "Gray, your clothes." She dryly spoke to the ice mage.

"AW MAN!"

Natsu approached the form of Laxus who was leaning against a support pillar.

"Was it you Laxus?!" He accused.

The lightning mage scoffed, "Yeah right kid, get real."

Natsu's frustration grew even higher as he turned to Erza at the Request Board.

"Erza! It must've been you!" He pointed the finger at the redhead next.

"Now now, there's no point in drawing conclusions Natsu." She reprimanded the boy.

His gaze fell upon Matt, staring at the glass of water in his hand, and lingered momentarily before turning to find someone else.

Lisanna approached her older sister. "How about you Mira? Do you know anything?"

The older girl shook her head genuinely, "Nope! Don't know a thing." A devious thought passed through her mind as she looked at Natsu. "How about you just admit you ate it already Pinkie." She spoke to Natsu with a smirk.

Natsu looked momentarily stunned by her remark before getting furious at her.

"Mira!" Erza spoke out against the girl.

"Alright that does it!" He charged the girl who caught his punch. "I'm gonna kick your butt!"

"Yeah?! Well I'd like to see you try twerp!" The duo bumped into Gray who yelled at them as they continued their brawl, Erza immediately rushed over to break it up.

The trio of Macao, Wakaba and Makarov to Matt's immediate left began speaking about something, but it was all white noise to Matt who was caught up in his own head.

'A permanent weapon that isn't my knife perhaps? Hmmm. That could work, but I'd want it to be subtle and unexpected.' Even now he was still pondering methods to adjust his style in a fight. '…This is dumb.' He sighed. 'Why the hell am I so paranoid about this anyways? I'm plenty strong with my magic to compensate for a gimped arm. Not like I'd be throwing myself into a fight I couldn't win without it.'

A chorus of the guild snapped Matt back to reality, he turned around to see everyone looking at the small blue kitten atop Natsu's head. Wide smiles and a harmony of "Awwww"'s, were all he paid attention to.

Matt looked closely at the guild… his guild.

Their smiles. Their overwhelming joy over something as simple as a cat being born. The camaraderie they shared regardless of their pasts as every ounce of tension and hostility died out to be replaced with glee.

For a flash, so quick that you couldn't catch it even if you paid attention, Matt saw something entirely different. The fading vestiges of a life that was nothing more than a hollow echo in his mind.

"Big Brother, can we go explore the forest?!" His little brother begged him as they just moved in to a new house.

"Thanks for believing in me." His younger sister smiled at him as she graduated high school.

"My baby boy has grown up so much!" His mother tearfully embraced him on his 18th birthday.

"I'm proud of you son." His father patted him on the shoulder with a large smile.

'Ah. I get it now.' A small smile crept up onto the lips of Matt. 'There really ain't much of a difference is there?'

"Big Brother! Please teach me to use a sword!" Kagura pleaded with him, using the fatal puppy eyes technique.

"Hey Matt, can... you show me how to ice skate?" Gray embarrassingly asked the older teen.

"C'mon and fight me Matt!" Natsu grinned widely at him.

"Please Matt! Let me do a fortune reading on you!" Cana pleaded with the teen.

"Thank you for everything Big Brother." Brandish hugged the teen, a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Mira. Just call me Mira okay?" The rebellious girl told him, somewhat embarrassed.

"You shouldn't be so careless you know, I-we care about you…" Erza chided the boy.

"C'mon Little Buddy! Let's rock this town!" Gildarts cackled as he dragged the boy out for another excursion.

"Matt my boy, you make me and this guild proud. No matter what happens, never loose that heart." Makarov smiled at him.

'I wanna protect them… don't I?' It clicked in his head. Makarov was wrong: there was a third side to the teen. A side that wanted everyone to be happy, no matter the cost to himself. The greedy king who would shape the world into whatever most satiated his desires.

But he didn't deserve it.

How could he possibly even hope to have happiness like this when he's deprived so many others of it?! Why do these people hold a no-good bastard like him in such high regard?! It just... didn't make sense to the teen.

"Hey Matt, you okay?"

The voice of Macao snapped Matt out of his trance.

"Yeah, just nursing a headache is all." He played off his absentminded attitude.

"Well you got a few more years before you can drink it away." The bluenette smirked and sat next to him. "By the way." He lead on.

"Hm?"

"I'm gonna ask Enno to marry me." He boldly declared to Matt.

The teen did a spit take after hearing this.

"When the hell did you two hook up?!" He demanded an answer from him.

"Heh. Well we sorta got together when you were gone, and we may have uh… y'know." Macao sheepishly looked away from Matt in embarrassment.

"Oh… OH… oh…" The dots connected in Matt's head as he took an awkward drink of his water. "Well uh, I wish you the best of luck."

"Thanks." He responded as the two sat in somewhat awkward silence afterwards.

"Hey Matt! You gotta meet Happy!" Natsu ran over to the him, hoisting the cat above his head. "Happy! This is Matt! He's a really strong member of Fairy Tail!" The boy held the blue cat in his hands and raised him up to the bluenette.

Matt blinked a couple times, "Nice to meetcha'." He nodded to the cat.

"Aye!" It responded with an arm raised.

"Did the cat just talk?" He questioned the odd noise it made.

"Huh?" Natsu looked at him confused. "What are you talking about Matt, all cats go "Aye" don't they?"

The teen chuckled a bit at Natsu's youthful innocence. "No they go "Meow", but it could just be a temporary thing." He shrugged off the odd behavior of the cat.

"Well I think it's really cute." Lisanna smiled as she too approached, the two kids smiling at each other after gazing at the cat.

"My my you two, such boldness." Matt ominously spoke.

"What do you mean?" The girl curiously asked him.

"Well I suppose someone would have to spell it out at this stage." He leaned down with a cheshire smile and hand over his mouth. "You're in lo~ve."

The duo immediately blushed furiously at his words.

"You're in lo~ve." The cat mimicked Matt perfectly.

"""THE CAT TALKS?!""" Came the collective shout of onlookers.

Matt looked at the cat in surprise before nodding firmly.

"I shall teach you the ways of the troll young one." He spoke to Happy who responded with an "Aye".

"PLEASE DON'T!" Lisanna begged him with her blush still present behind the hands covering her face.

* * *

Matt looked at some cloth in a shop with a sharp gaze. He felt the textures of each of his choices with the upmost scrutiny. In a select few countries, cloth specifically made to accommodate the weaving of magic power into it was made. It's essentially a similar principal as to how armor and weapons can have magic in them, except on a far more practical scale. The teen primarily looked into this so he could make sure he didn't have to buy a new jacket or repair one over and over again.

Matt was visiting this store after he paid a visit to Zeke, which he now decided to make a monthly thing.

"Using blood as a catalyst for magic?" Zeke raised a brow at Matt.

"Yeah. With a weaker arm I need something to compensate for the lack of raw strength. So I wonder if having something like a rune tattooed with a blood and ink mix would work as a quick spell I could fire."

"I see… Well that could work in theory." Zeke admitted before smiling, "But I think I have something much better in mind."

"I'm all ears." Matt admitted, fully open to any suggestions.

"Your other primary magic is Replication Magic right?"

"Yeah, though I've basically mastered everything in that book. Kinda weird how no one has come up with anything new for it after all these years." The teen scratched his head.

"What if I told you there was an entire world of possibility with that magic that just simply never got perfected before it could be written down."

"...I'm listening."

"The basic principal behind the magic is molding raw Magic Power into the something else correct?"

"Yeah." Matt nodded.

"Well I'm sure by extension of studying this, you've realized that magic power is inherently formless until the mage in question gives it the necessary flow to change it into something else, like fire or transforming. Magic Power flows and weaves like blood, it lives like anything else. This also means it can change just like a person can."

"Yeah, magic books only really teach you how to take that magic power and change its properties. After that your container is changed to best accommodate that first magic. It's why I can't use more physically tolling magic since my body hasn't been naturally adapted to it via the container." He rolled his weaker arm, a byproduct of misuse of the Slayer Magic.

"Good, then this will make my explanation much easier." Zeke sighed in relief. "What if I told you that magic power itself can become a tool? A weapon with potential only as limited as your imagination? The best part is it'll be extremely friendly even to your limited ability in that arm."

"Before you had me listening, now you have my undivided attention." The teen grinned.

Matt chose his cloth and left the shop satisfied. The huge perk to living in Magnolia was all the trade going on. If you wanted to find cloth from Pergrande here? No problem. Exotic food from Sin? Piece of cake. While not a cultural hodgepodge, it was still a nice change up from the norm of other cities.

He approached the guild from the store, but suddenly stopped as he heard the ringing of ominous bells behind him. The street was empty and quiet, though Matt could feel the presence of other behind him.

"Matthew Atlas." A deep, old voice sent a chill down his spine.

The teen slowly turned his head to see a man with black, ornate robes and a tengu mask on. They were cornered by a duo of fully armored warriors.

"Speaking. Who might you be?" He stayed on guard in the face of these three.

"I am Masamune, a simple sword smith from Enca. I've come here today to give you a gift courtesy of the Emperor of Enca, as thanks for you service in the destruction of Dragon's Bane." The older man explained.

Matt blinked a couple of times and nodded, incredibly relieved this wouldn't turn into a fight.

"So where are we doing this?" He raised a brow at the trio.

"In here." Masamune raised a hand, and with a wave, opened something similar to Requip, except this was…

"A sliding door?" The teen was genuinely stunned by the odd magic just making a door appear from thin air.

"Spacequip: a magic that allows me to create a pocket dimension. Now come." He simply explained before ushering the teen forward. Matt nodded and followed the man in the door.

Past this was a large room befitting a blacksmith. It was still impressively hot and smelled like metal and burned coal. Stone structures and metal items littered the area.

"This way." He guided Matt towards a room in the back.

Masamune opened the door to reveal a rather plain room. Green tatami mats on the floor, some shelving and hand drawn art was on the walls with a few flower vases.

The blacksmith then sat on the floor. Matt followed suit and was across from him. Masamune pulled out a long black, wooden box with a golden emblem on it.

"This," he opened the lid and with both hands, gently pulled out a black katana with a golden guard. "Is Kusanagi."

Just from where Matt was sitting, he could feel the odd force of the blade. As if the blade possessed a will, a soul.

"This sword is without question my finest work. The very gods themselves compelled the creation of this blade. Thunder from Takemikazuchi set the pace of my hammer. Wind from Fūjin and lightning from Raijin ushered me to keep working even as I became overcome with exhaustion. The radiant light of the sun and moon assured me my time was not being wasted."

"U-Uh-huh." Matt nodded, taken aback by the rather extreme passion from the sword smith.

"This blade, I know for fact, will cut anything as long as you possess the will to command it to do so. A blade is no mere tool, it is an extension of one's very soul! If your soul is strong, this blade need only ask what you need of it." Matt slowly nodded. "However, be warned young man: this blade, if drawn with an unstable soul, could cause cataclysm."

Matt swallowed his spit at those ominous words.

"One must have full control of their very being to bring out its true power. And if you can, this blade is without peer, now and forever."

Masamune handed the blade to Matt who accepted it with both hands. The Smith then handed him a letter.

"This is from the Emperor himself, he requested these two things be given at the same time."

Matt nodded and accepted the letter, placing the items in his hammer space.

"Thank you Mr. Masamune for the blade, I'll use it to the best of my ability." He bowed to the man in respect. "Give the Emperor my regards too."

Masamune merely nodded as they left the pocket dimension and parted ways.

After giving a sigh of relief, Matt returned to the guild immediately afterwards. As he headed to his room, he was suddenly stopped by a presence behind him.

"Who were those odd men you were talking to?" Erza's sudden speaking caused Matt to jump a bit.

"Geez, ever hear of letting someone know you're around?" He chided her.

The redhead pouted a bit, "Just answer the question."

Matt saw his opportunity to have some fun, "Oh my? Could it be you're stalking me?"

Erza coughed a bit at his question. "Wh-what?! Of course not!"

"Oh? Then how would you know I was talking with those men?" He feigned innocence as he asked her.

"Th-that's because I… I… uh… I was just walking by and happened to see it is all." She fumbled a bit before making up an excuse.

Matt just dryly stared at her.

"It-it's true! I was merely coming back from training with Kagura!" The blush on her face intensified.

"Oh, I see. And if I asked Kagura she'd confirm this story?"

"She would." The mentioned girl approached them.

Matt gave a glare at her to see if she would crack. The girl simply returned the gesture with a smile.

"Alright then." Matt nodded, buying the story.

"See, I wasn't lying." Erza confidently puffed out her chest.

"I believe you now, sheesh." Matt waved his hand side-to-side. "If you must know I was just talking to some people from Enca. They were thanking me for that mission is all."

"O-Oh." Erza was somewhat surprised by the rather plain truth. She felt Matt's hand fall atop her head.

"I appreciate the gesture though, but everyone could use some personal space outside the guild y'know?" He smiled at the girl and walked off to his room.

"Thanks for covering for me…" Erza placed a hand atop her head.

"It's no problem! Big Brother was just teasing you anyways, he didn't mean to upset you." She smiled at the redhead.

"N-no I know that, it's just…"

The truth was she had been keeping an eye of Matt lately in her spare time. Given that danger followed him around like a moth to flame, she worried he might get into a bad mess again. She worried that a permanently wounded arm would be the least of his injuries.

"I know." Kagura put a hand on Erza's shoulder.

She'd been upping her training as quickly as possible so she could catch up to her Brother. Unfortunately the evident gap between them was quite obvious, but she refused to give up. She made a promise, and she intended to keep it.

Kagura had long since figured out Erza's feelings towards her brother and personally rooted for her. However she also knew that Matt wasn't in the best place for any kind of relationship like that, but maybe one day. At the very least it gave her and Lisanna some fun conversations to see which of the two elder sisters chasing after him would win. Well, that is if Erza herself realizes what her feelings mean in the first place.

* * *

Darkness. That was all he remembered as he floated aimlessly. It was odd however, compared to the normal darkness, this was much warmer. One might even call it pleasant.

The boy remembered how this warmth was suddenly taken away, his body drifting down to a formless floor. His small frame sat there, leaning against something as light finally pierced through the darkness.

Green eyes opened for the first time, not enjoying their first exposure to light.

"Vitals are normal." A voice out of sight spoke. The figure approached the boy, his form a mere silhouette to the small boy. "Eyes appear to be operating normally." His hand stretched out, skin comparable to chalk lightly gripping his arm and letting go. "Blood flow is optimal." The figure smiled, "It was a complete success."

He stood up, his shadow covering the boy.

"Well, I suppose I should welcome you. I doubt this place would even be remotely familiar. Though I can't guarantee anything was preserved in that regard... Ah! I got it." Yellow eyes contrasted by black sclera gazed at the boy.

"Happy birthday..." The last word of the man was left to the wayside as consciousness left the boy.

**Hoo boy this chapter.**

**Hi.**

**Welcome back to another chapter of this mess.**

**So we had a fair bit happen this time around I should probably get into.**

**If I haven't made it clear enough yet, Matt is completely fucking devastated with survivor's guilt, a pretty expected response after everything that happened on that island. He's also basically lost every memory about his old life****.**

**This arc in general is gonna be a real dark hour for our protagonist as he comes with grips with his new reality. He barely remembers why he struggled for so many years. He does not recall the faces of those he calls family. He recollects practically nothing of the life he once lived. I don't think I even need to explain how badly that would devastate anyone.**

**However, like Makarov decided, its genuinely for the best Matt finds a new purpose, which he basically has. The problem is the aforementioned guilt he's keeping to himself. That'll play a major role in the upcoming chapters of this arc as a whole.**

**This arc is a very transitory one. This is the final pre-written chapter I had from months ago. From here on, it's all current me writing every word. I also intend to use this arc as a sort of lead-in to the next arc which will flat-out be the darkest this story gets from most standpoints. I'm gonna push the M rating on this website hard when we arrive to that section.**

**This arc will also probably have the most overall canon-changes before we get to the manga. The fourth and fifth arcs are moreso grounded in the general lore of the world I've already set up rather than as consequences of actions (though the fifth one is debatably just a consequence).**

**One change in particular will be quite a major one I played mental chess with myself to see how it'd work. It probably means I'll have to cover an arc from canon I had originally intended to skip since Matt wouldn't have ooriginaly changed shit about it, but I'll deal with that when we get there.**

**Most of this arc going forward will primarily involve Matt and one or two characters getting into something. Naturally we still have the S-Class trials which will come pretty soon.**

**The other major part of this chapter was Zeref beginning to teach Matt the next stage of his magic growth. I've already pretty strongly hinted as to what it'll revolve around, but we'll see the final result pretty soon.**** I'm pretty excited to start using it in fights as it really lets me go crazy on the fun and creative factors.**

**Our next chapter will feature a pretty noteworthy change from canon as a familiar face returns.**

**Until next time, I bid you all adieu.**


	29. A Father and Daughter

**Welcome back my lovely readers! I apologize for the delay/odd absence. I recently discovered that I literally can not muster up the will to write at any point that isn't night time... real shame that happened after manually fixing my sleep schedule.**

**MasterDarkElf: **I'm pretty sure I wrote that Phantom Lord took his body away for private burial. If not, then I apologize for the misunderstanding.

**Alright, enough delay, on with the chapter!**

Sweat beaded down the teen's face as he practiced his magic control more and more. With his God Slayer magic on the backburner for the foreseeable future with his arm in its current state, Matt instead focused elsewhere for the time being.

With the advice and instructions he'd received from Zeke, the teen finally had a new direction to take his arsenal. He felt genuinely excited to deep dive into learning magic once more after all these years. Sure Runes were still an active learning process, but that was more akin to mental translation than nitty gritty learning.

Slow, controlled breaths smoothly passed between his lips. Matt sat cross-legged atop a tree stump he'd known for many years now, a simple black tank-top and beige shorts made up his outfit. A few birds had perched themselves on various parts of his body, something that showed the teen's ability to tame his wild magic power amd his ability to completely focus.

Summer was making itself known quite quickly in late June, the sun seemingly beating down quite a bit rougher than normal for the season. It definitely contributed to the teen's training though as the stump absorbed the heat, making Matt practically sit on a burning stove.

The birds suddenly flew off as Matt opened his eyes. His limbs cracked and popped as he contorted his body in various stretches to loosen up post-meditation. A harsh exhale of relief came from Matt as he finished.

"Man, wish I could multi-task when I do that stuff. Would at least help me not feel like a board after I'm done." He sighed and began to make his way back to the guild.

As he walked, he noticed a familiar tune was ringing throughout town by the bells of the Cathedral.

"Oh? He's back pretty fast. Must've taken an easy one." Matt nodded as he continued on his way, not noticing the familiar brown-haired girl approaching him with a hesitant face.

"Uh, hey Matt." Cana nervously spoke.

"Hm? Oh, Cana. What's up?" Matt nodded her way, pocketing his hands.

"Well... I wanna ask a favor." Her timid nature towards this told the teen it must've been important.

"Sure, what can I do?" He softly smiled, trying to ease her misplaced unease.

"I uh... I... can I uhm..." The girl tried to muster up the courage to ask.

"Mm-hm?" He nodded, urging her on.

"I need your help picking out a gift."

"A... gift?" He raised a brow at the request before shrugging, "Sure. Who for?"

"Well... it's uh... it's for someone important." Her vague tone told the boy exactly who it was, the bells beginning to fade out.

"I see. In that case, I'll make sure to give it my all." He nodded, a solemn expression on his face.

"Thank you." She smiled.

"Now then, what kind of gift do you have in mind?" The teen immediately ruled out anything above the age of 18 for countless ethical reasons.

"I want it to be something special. Something he'd always keep close." She quickly spoke, already knowing it had to be sentimental.

The teen pretended not to hear the pronoun used as he ran through the potential items that fit the bill.

"Hmm. Maybe an accessory of some kind? Like a pocket watch or ring?" The teen suggested.

"Hm. I like the idea, but I want it to mean something more." The girl put on a contemplative expression.

"Well why don't you we think it over elsewhere, standing around won't solve anything. Especially with this heat."

"Oh! You're right, it is getting kinda hot." The normal demeanor of the girl returned, awkwardly laughing as she rubbed the back of her head.

The duo made their way over to the bustling guild hall where someone was flung out the door, specifically a pink speeding bullet smashed into the cobblestone street that'd returned to normal.

Natsu dug his head out from the ground, spitting some dirt. "I'm not done yet Gildarts!" He charged back in, only to be immediately dug back into the ground, over and over.

"Shouldn't you stop this?" Cana arched a brow at the teen as she looked on at the beating the dragon slayer was taking.

"Nah, he'll either pass out first or Gildarts'll fling him across town. I'm more concerned for the road damages, Master definitely won't like the Mayor breathing down his neck." Matt sighed as he walked into the building.

The heat was hitting the mages quite hard this year. Grey was literally in a puddle of his own magic, desperately trying to keep cool. Erza was beginning to regret wearing armor constantly as her head rested against a table. Mira would capitalize on this opportunity, but she was too busy trying to keep sane with her siblings, her hand fanning her face. Levy was using her magic to keep herself cool, Jet and Droy already on the floor. Kagura slammed glasses of ice water, relishing in the brief relief it brought.

The only people handling this well were Natsu, a fire mage, Brandish, who lived by the desert, Cana, who'd spent many summers in a stone home with other kids, and the other mages worth their salt.

Gildarts was speaking with Makarov at the bar, the S-class mage already downing some booze on the rocks. The mage heard the familiar footfalls of the teen and turned.

"Oh? Well if it ain't Matt." Gildarts greeted the teen as he approached, "How's it going?"

"Fine," Matt shrugged. "About as well as you'd expect these days."

"I see." He nodded before adopting a coy grin, "Soooo, how's the dating scene going? I know the ladies must be swooning over the guy I taught all my secrets to."

"Gildarts all you taught me was to follow the exact opposite of your advice." Matt dryly looked at the man.

"Gah! C-C'mon! That's still advice!" He protested, technically correct.

"Fight me Gildarts!" Natsu charged in with a drop kick.

"As I was saying." Gildarts backhanded Natsu through the ceiling, "You're at that age kid. I know you gotta be eyeing a pretty lady. C'mon, you can tell ol' Gildarts!" He lightly elbowed the teen, a silly look in his face.

"Sorry, not interested." Matt shot that down.

"Just because you aren't now doesn't mean ya won't be!" The man laughed, patting Matt's shoulder.

"Why does it feel like every time we talk, it's always about women."

"Aw c'mon kid, we're guys, we can have a little fun here and there. Remember our glory days out in the town!"

"All I remember was those women offering me free food and their addresses while you got kicked out."

The man face planted into the floor at that callous reminder, a few snickers coming from the usual eavesdroppers.

"Still more action than you guys are gonna get." Matt spoke to the sneaks, all of them immediately being hit by that and going silent. "I'm surrounded by people who only think with their second head." Matt pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning in annoyance.

"Anyways, getting on track to something else." Gildarts sported a grin as he spoke, "The old man is bringing back the S-Class Trials."

"Yeah, I was the one that talked him into it. What about it?"

"There's been some hearsay y'know? People are betting about who'll make it: you, or Laxus."

"And? You throwing your hat in a ring? Need I remind you that gambling ain't your strong suit?" Matt had gone 57-0 against the mage.

"Ha! Normally I'd agree with you, but this time? I'm feeling pretty good on my bet." The older mage slammed the mug of liquor.

"I see. And I suppose you're gonna keep that a closely-guarded secret until payout?"

"Yup! More fun to keep you youngsters on your toes." A challenging expression soon morphed itself onto the face of the experienced mage. "Besides, I'll get to gague that all myself." The ominous tone was definitely unnatural coming from Gildarts.

"What do you mean?" Matt slowly asked, genuinely a bit unsettled by the inflection of Gildarts' tone.

"Don't worry about it for now." The jovial manner of the man returned as he waved off the question. "All you should concern yourself with is making sure you're in tip-top condition come December."

That was all Gildarts said as he walked off. Matt was too busy trying to find the meaning of those words as Gildarts made a new hole in the wall, Makarov yelling at the man.

"That couldn't mean what I think it could..." Matt muttered to himself, not noticing Cana approach.

"Uh... Matt?"

The teen immediately refocused on reality as he gazed at the girl, "Right. The gift. Sorry about that." He shook his head.

"Oh it's fine." The girl smiled as they both sat down at a table.

"So, you want it to be sentimental?" He asked.

"Mm-hm."

"Well what kind of sentiment should it channel? I mean there's familial sentiment, nostalgic sentiment. That kind of stuff."

The girl chose her words carefully as to avoid letting the boy in on her secret he was already long aware of. "Well, a little bit of both of those probably."

"Probably?" Matt raised a brow.

"I'm not too sure what the feelings will be when they get it, but I think both of those examples sound right." The girl guessed, not used to these kinds of emotional questions.

"I see..." Matt crossed his arms, a hum of thought vibrating in his throat. "Maybe it'll be best if we just go out and see for ourselves. After all something could catch your eye."

"Mm." The girl nodded, "You're probably right."

The boy let out an internal sigh. He admired the girl's sudden determination towards this, but he also had a feeling that fire would be quickly snuffed when the time actually came.

Then again.

He'd taken matters into his own hands before, what's doing it again?

* * *

The cold night air stung Draculos' skin as he stood atop one of the countless rooftops within the market district of Khan, the grand capital city of Pergrande.

His gaze shifted upwards where the imperial palace, Gehenna, sat atop a massive hill that was more of a mountain. The gothic look of the palace fit the dark and quiet night, the tall towers mere silhouettes against the moon.

The mage scowled at the home of his king, a man he was quickly suspecting was far more than meets the eye. Over a year of complete silence from the entire royal family, even the crown prince has reportedly disappeared.

Draculos was no fool, he could feel that he was on to something based on the well-hidden gaze constantly tailing him. He didn't want to admit who the owner of it was, but deep down, he knew Captain Czar was the one in question. Orpheus Czar is a man whose loyalties extend only to his home. The Wizard Saint had no lead or even an idea as to the true motivations of the man, but all of it would come to light eventually.

The vampire mage's ear caught the sound of quick footfalls, though the vague scraping of nails on the freezing cobblestone did not fall on deaf ears.

A figure, draped entirely in a black cloak, ran through the streets, leaving a trail of red footprints that didn't even hope to resemble a human's.

This is what he'd been waiting for all this time. A slip up in the finely tuned system of this city. It'd taken nearly a year of investigation, but it seemed fate had finally awarded the mage.

He stalked the figure, his presence being concealed by his magic. The closer the figure got, the more a familiar smell lined the walls of the mage's nose. A disgusted frown crawled its way onto his face as the figure turned into a nearby alley.

The cloaked monster crouched in the corner of the alley, saliva coating the tongue that licked lips already stained crimson. Before it could savor its impending meal, its life was ended as it's hands arose to its neck. All air and blood flow had ceased to its brain, and shortly thereafter, all life functions ceased.

Draculos approached the toppled mass with a scowl, taking a deep breath before using his foot to turn the thing upwards.

His eyes shot open and his mouth fell, vomit threatened to rise from his stomach as he stared at the monstrosity before him.

In his many decades of serving the public as a mage, he'd seen horror stories come to life. Entire villages and their populations reduced to cinders, the feasting grounds for Vulcan's long since made extinct by the Council, the aftermath of creature's no man could even feasibly remain sane after seeing.

But this? Knowing that was once human had been turned into this vile slight against humanity? That made a feeling of dread like no other swell within the man. Not even in his wildest fantasies could he have imagined this level of escalation.

Without even wasting a moment, he immediately set the corpse ablaze, the only method of disposal warranted. He could have kept the corpse to present to the council, but he knew hiding it until then would be far more difficult than he alone could manage against this city.

"..." He remained silent as he gazed at what that thing was about to finish feasting upon.

A small, frail, gentle arm lay on the ground, ripped off right above the bicep. The mage needn't even think for a second to know where this arm came from. To know what horrible tragedy had occured. To know that this, was not a rare occurrence anymore.

Blood leaked from the Draculos' clenched hands in frustration. He now knew for a fact that horrible things were occurring in this city. He knew that people, children, were being devoured and turned into these abominations!

And yet.

He couldn't do anything.

Who would even believe him if he spoke of these things? The council isn't foolish enough to challenge a kingdom of Pergrande's calibur. That's a fight they might not win, even with Etherion. Any evidence would be quickly found and disposed of. This was his first break in nearly a year, who even knows the sort of luck Draculos had with this.

If this problem was going to be solved, it was gonna have to be done personally. Except, Draculos was just one man. Even if he was the strongest mage in this continent, he lacked the confidence to take on the kingdom by himself.

All he could do for now, was bide his time until opportunity arose.

Draculos knelt down and lifted the arm. The hand was soft and freezing cold. Bitter sorrow lined his features as he gazed at the only surviving piece of what embodied unimaginable innocent potential.

"I swear, I will make sure your loss wasn't in vain. One day peace will return. So rest easy with those you care for, and please wait for that day." The hand was slowly turned into ashes in his pale embrace.

A raging inferno lined Draculos' eyes as his gaze shot towards Gehenna.

He will restore peace to his home.

No matter the cost.

* * *

Cana and Matt gazed at the various pieces of jewelry behind the glass cases.

"You lookin' to see if they have that person's gemstone?" He absentmindedly questioned.

"Hm? What's that mean?" The girl curiously asked.

"Well y'see, a person's gemstone is... it means..." Matt paused, his brain being unable to recall what that meant. Hell, why did he even say that in the first place? When did he ever care about useless trivia about gemstones? Probably got it from some book his brain didn't care much for.

"Matt?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothin', forget I said anything. Probably just misremembering." The teen brushed off the girl's concern. If there was one thing she knew for a fact Matt was, it was not the type of person to misremember something he brought up that assuredly.

The girl kept her concerns to herself for now, maybe she'd bring it up with Kagura later.

"All that aside, are you sure this person is even the type for rings or bracelets?" He steered the conversation elsewhere.

"... No. No they aren't." The girl sighed, berating herself for wasting time on something she could've easily figured out with just a second of thought.

"Don't worry about it, not like the world's future hinges in this y'know?" The teen tried to ease the girl's mind.

"I know, I just wanna make sure it's perfect."

The boy smiled, "Well I'm sure with our powers combined, we can figure this out."

Cana eyed the teen with a smile of her own, "Yup!"

"Alright then!" He nodded, "So, let's go over the details again to figure this out."

Cana nodded, "Well, they definitely do a lot of hands-on work."

"So rings and bracelets are definitely out."

"Right. They also like to pack lightly and simply."

"That pretty much means something of high maintenance is a no-go. So watches are definitely out."

"Yeah, which leaves necklaces." The girl concluded.

"Okay then, how about a locket for a photo?" Matt suggested.

Cana adopted a surprised look for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, that'll do it!"

Matt grinned, "Alright then, now that we know what we're looking for, this'll be way easier."

"Yup!"

With that the duo wandered around the city. At this point Matt was no-longer needed, but he figured the girl would probably want him around as moral support of some kind. He didn't mind truthfully, though he never realized just how many damn jewelry stores there were in this town. He'd also never realized just how scummy a lot of them are.

Hiking up prices way past their regular value, bartering with a friggin kid, trying to use tactics akin to sleazy salesmen. Half the time, Matt and Cana got the boot once he started giving them a cold glare.

Cana sighed in defeat as the sun was beginning to set. They'd visited practically every jewelry store in the city and came up dry.

"Maybe we're just approaching this wrong." Matt spoke, his hands behind his head.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we're assuming this person cares for something like fancy appearance. What ultimately matters is the heart behind it, not the monetary value. At least I hope the person you're gifting this to ain't like that. Those kind of people tend to be shallower than a kiddy pool." He sneered in distaste.

"No, I'm very confident they aren't like that." She quickly affirmed as they passed the street vendors, her gaze wandering to a bored vendor's selection.

The girl stopped as she eyed something she just knew was perfect. A small, simple, iron locket with brown fabric making it into a necklace. It was absolutely perfect based on the image in her head.

"Cana?" The teen asked as the girl stood in front of the vendor, her eyes glued to a particular item. He let out a simple chuckle as he eyed the low price, tossing the neccessary coin to the vendor currently enthralled by the newspaper. The man let out a hum of acknowledgement to the purchase as the duo left.

"Thank you." The girl placed the necklace in a pocket.

"Don't worry about it." Matt simply replied as they stood outside the guild hall.

"Well, I'm gonna go get this ready for later. See you tomorrow." The girl smiled and waved before quickly hurrying off.

"Good luck, you're gonna need it." He simply spoke before heading in.

* * *

Gildarts howled with laughter as he guzzled another mug of alcohol, his fifth so far.

"Man you always fight the weirdos!" Gildarts slapped the counter as Matt recalled his fight against Gil.

"You do realize you're throwing yourself in that list right?"

The man immediately stopped laughing at that realization, "He-Hey! I'm not weird damnit!"

"No, you aren't weird." Matt admitted.

"That's ri-"

"You're more hopeless than anything."

The S-Class mage spat out his drink at that. "I'm not hopeless!"

"You're recent record with women says otherwise old man!" Macao hollered.

"Don't you bring age into this! You'll be hitting that tender age of 40 sooner than you realize!" He cursed the fire mage.

"Hey! Nothing wrong with being over 40." Makarov chimed in, his cheeks slightly flush.

"Master is right, he doesn't look a day over 100." Wakaba snickered.

Gildarts held the tiny man back in his arms.

"Master! You can't pick a fight with someone half your age!"

"The hell I can't! Let me at em!" The geezer bellowed.

"Your fists can't even reach him!" The middle-aged mage spoke more forbidden words.

Now it was Matt's turn to hold the old man back from assaulting Gildarts.

"Damnit Master! You can't pick fights with everyone when you're drunk!" Matt cried out, struggling to hold back the rabid old man.

"I'll kick his ass damnit! I'll rip his legs off and stick em' on his head!" The old man kicked and waved his arms frantically.

This was soon rendered moot as a table collided with the teen and drunk old man, setting the balding honey badger loose on those who wronged him.

Matt landed on the other side of the bar, groaning as he stood up. His hair stuck to his head from alcohol.

"Atetete." He rubbed his head as he saw Makarov gnawing on Wakaba's head, the pompadour wiggling everywhere.

The teen sighed before noticing the small form of Cana behind a pillar, nervously eyeing Gildarts. He opted to keep out of it as he mindlessly caught a flung mug heading at him.

'C'mon kid, you got this.' He sent encouragement towards her, something starting to bubble inside of him.

The brunette eyed him and then the floor a few times before Gildarts stood up.

"Well I better get going. I'm heading out tomorrow for another job." He informed Matt before starting to walk off, Cana's gaze falling to the floor in defeat.

"...Hold on a second Gildarts." The teen spoke up.

"Hm? Is something wrong."

"Yeah, I need you to look at something real quick. A second opinion would be handy." He quickly forged a plan.

"Sure." The man nodded as Matt hopped over the bar, walking towards a certain door.

"I'll show you in here, it's kinda private." He easily faked embarrassment.

Gildarts nodded before walking into the supply closet, only for the door to slam shut.

"Huh?! The hell are you doing?!" Gildarts went to open the door, only to find it locked.

"Just wait in there. Oh. And do remember a major support pillar for the building is right in front of the door. It'd be bad if that got split apart." He immediately made it so the man couldn't use brute force.

Matt wordlessly approached Cana.

"Huh? Oh, Matt, what's going oHHHNN?!" He lifted the girl with one arm and approached the door, quickly opening it and tossing her inside.

"Are you crazy?! Why are you throwing a kid?!" Gildarts cried out as the girl collided into him.

"Just shut up and listen to what she has to say. Neither of you get to leave until she does." He uncharacteristically gave a sudden ultimatum.

Cana's eyes widened as she realized the teen had figured it all out.

"Hey!" Gildarts pounded on the door to no avail. "He must've used some runes to keep the door close and make it so any noise we make doesn't get out." The man sighed.

Cana sat on the floor, mulling over the absolute perfect opportunity Matt handed to her.

"Well, he said you had something to talk about. Doubt he'd go through all this if it wasn't important." The man looked at the girl, awaiting her answer.

"..." The girl remained silent, mentally berating herself for completely wasting this chance.

"What's the matter? Do you have to use the bathroom?"

"What?! No!" She cried out.

"Ah, so you can talk." He nodded, his ploy working to least confirm that.

Cana realized this and immediately fell silent again.

"C'mon kid, it's not like I'm gonna blabber about this if it's that much of a deal. It can be between you and me if that's what you want." Gildarts tried to reason with her.

"..." Silence still served as his only response.

"Geez, this must be a big deal." Gildarts realized the gravity of it, and decided maybe some lighthearted amusement would help her talk. "I wonder what it could be. Hmmmm. Ah! You must be a princess!"

Cana shook her head, a small smile being cracked.

Seeing his plan was working, Gildarts pressed again. "Not a Princess then eh? Hmm... Ah! I got it! Obviously you've come to confess your forbidden desire for my affections."

"Ew! That's gross! I'd never date my dad!" The girl cried out in disgust, only to realize what she'd said.

"...Eh?" Gildarts' brain froze at those words.

Cana immediately looked away, her face buried in her hands.

"EEEEEEHHHHHHH?!?!" The man screeched at the top of his lungs. "W-W-W-Wa-Wait a minute here! Whose kid are you?!?! Sarah?! Naomi?! Clara?! Phina?! No, Mary?! Liza?! No no the hair color is off!" He fell to his knees, "Emma?! Lila?! Jennie?! Sidney?! Kate?! Maybe the Yuuko Sisters?!" The man desperately tried to piece together this massively important puzzle.

"S-SISTERS?! How many women did you whore yourself out to?!" The girl chided him.

"Wait! It's gotta be Silvia! She made that angry face a lot!"

"Argh! I wait all these years to try and tell the truth only to find out my old man was this much of a deadbeat!" Cana cried out, furiously scratching her head. "Aw whatever! I just wanted to let you know so I can get it off my chest. Later." The girl began to walk towards the exit.

"W-Wait! Hold up a second!" The older man spoke up.

"I don't have a thing left to say to you. Don't worry about me wanting to move in, obviously I don't wanna ruin your already awful game. Like I'd wanna be around that anywa-" The girl was cut off as the man embraced her.

"Cornellia. You're her daughter." Gildarts spoke, more sure of that than anything else in his life.

"...Please let me go." The girl weakly retorted.

"Why? Why did you wait so long?"

"...I just... I was scared. How was I supposed to tell someone that I didn't even know I was their daughter? I just couldn't handle the idea you'd completely reject me." The girl honestly spoke.

"Your mother, out of every women I've ever been with, was the only one who ever had my heart. I'd felt no greater joy in my life than when we got married to spend eternity together." The man nostalgically smiled, "She left me all those years ago because all I ever did to show my love to her was work. When I heard of her passing, it was like my entire world shattered apart. But to think, a part of her was still with me... I can't even begin to apologize." The mage poured his heart out.

Cana gently broke the embrace, "It's fine, I was the one keeping it a secret and all. Kinda nice not having to worry about that anymore." A soft smile decorated her features.

"To think, something so important to me was right under my nose this entire time. I'm such a damn fool." Tears began to well in the corners of his eyes.

"H-Hey! There's no need to cry or anything! I never expected anything from you. You don't have to treat me like I'm anything special." An arm rose up to clutch to other, her head turned in some embarrassment. "B-But if it's okay... I wanna be selfish just this once." She smiled widely at the man. "I'm really glad I got to meet you... dad."

Gildarts gazed at his daughter, the girl who represented his pride and joy. The living monument to what was without question the happiest he's ever been. All thoughts of fury at his own incompetence, sorrow at the passing of his love, joy of knowing he has a daughter, those were all washed away in an overwhelming love that bloomed.

He shot out, embracing the girl as tears flowed down his cheeks without end.

"I swear! I swear on my very soul that I'll never let you feel alone again! No matter where you are, I'll always be there for you! The only thing I ask of you: is that you please give me the chance to be the father you deserve!"

Cana smiled genuinely, tears flowing down her face before looking up at the man and nodding happily, embracing her father as the family she so longed to have once more.

Matt stood outside the door, his back leaning against the frame as he listened. Before long, the teen stood up and walked off, dispelling the runes.

* * *

"""EEEEEEHHHHHHH?!""" The guild cried out in surprise as Gildarts grinned.

"You mean to tell us Cana is your daughter?!" Macao gaped.

"Y'know that explains a lot." Wakaba thought back.

"Yup! And now Papa Gildarts ain't gonna let his baby girl out of his sight." He smiled and nuzzled his head on the girls.

"Will you stop that! Your beard is prickly!" She protested.

"Still, to think Matt figured it out." Makarov absentmindedly spoke.

"Oh yeah, how long did you know?" The S-class asked him.

"The beginning." He simply responded.

""HA?!"" The father-daughter duo gaped.

"What? It wasn't hard to figure out. I can't help that everyone here is too busy fighting to pay attention." He shrugged.

"Alright alright. That's enough going crazy for today, it's time to close up for tonight." Makarov calmed the crowd.

Slowly the group began to thin out, only the family of two, Makarov and Matt remained.

"I should probably get back before the old lady gets mad." Cana spoke up before approaching Matt. "Hey Matt."

"Hm? What's up?"

"I just wanted to thank you."

"For what? All I did was force you two to talk. You did all the rest." He downplayed himself.

"Even then, you helped me a lot. So thank you, I mean it." The girl smiled brightly at him.

"Anytime." He simply responded.

Cana left for Fairy Hills afterwards, leaving only the power trio behind.

"I feel like I should thank you too." Gildarts honestly spoke.

"If you wanna thank me, then live up to those words you said to her."

Gildarts looked at Matt, surprised by that response before cracking a smile and nodding adamantly.

Eventually only Matt remained in the guild, he stared at a glass of alcohol mindlessly, spinning the liquid around.

"Family... huh?"

The word felt... foreign to the teen.

"Did I... have one too...?"

**And thus concludes another chapter!**

**Welcome back everyone. Again, I apologize for the delay. Now that I've ruined my sleep schedule again, and subsequently missed some obvious typo's, we should be back on track!**

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**Christ I _am _a nocturnal creature.**

**No seriously I do apologize if this chapter isn't the best. Still getting back into the swing of things y'know?**

**So we had a pretty major change occur with this chapter, Gildarts now knows that Cana is his kid thanks to our stubborn protagonist.**

**I feel like I should preface this for future comments: my changes don't necessarily mean canon will also drastically change from how you expect. Basically all of my changes so far, (not all of them) just rewrite context and motivation. Cana will still be on Tenrou, her motivation will just be different for why she's there. Phantom Lord's Arc will still happen, but as we all know, the context behind it will be _very_ different.**

**Now does this mean there won't be changes that do completely derail parts of canon? Well you'll have to wait and see to find out about that. Spoiler alert: of course not, we just won't see them for a _long_ time.**

**We also got to check in with the top Wizard Saint as he investigates the atrocities occurring in his homeland. This arc will periodically cut over for setup to later arcs in between all the other stuff. But if you couldn't tell, shit is _fucked_ over there, and I'm very excited to get to it after this arc.**

**Also, we hit 300 Followers. Holy shit. Thank you everyone for putting some faith in this long-term adventure, and I hope you enjoy where I steer this crazy train.**

**As a side-note, let me know if I should post the poll for what my 4th story will be just so it has time for people to vote before I wrap up A Beautiful World, and know what to focus long-term ideas on.**

**Next time, we spend a day with our young King.**

**Until next time, I bid you all adieu.**


	30. Planting the Seeds

**Alright! We're back! I apologize for the delay, lots of bad scheduling and such got in the way of me writing. But I've returned, and that's all that's important.**

**Since there's really nothing that warrants a response, we can get right into it!**

Matt sat across the table from his sole remaining opponent, a man over twice his age yet sweating more nervously than a kid on their first date. A bored expression lined the King's features as his two cards lay face-down, only having been touched once.

"You alright there pal?" He teased his opponent with a coy grin. "If you need to use the toilet we can take five." The teen was trying to get literally any kind of humorous retort from the man, but was met with mere silence.

"All in." Matt spoke out after a sigh.

The audience remained silent as Matt pushed all his remaining chips in, the weightless plastic skidding along the green felt.

"A-A-All in!" His adversary stuttered nervously, feigning confidence with a shaky smirk.

"Let me guess: you're going for a Full House right?" He calmly spoke, the house still not having dealt the final card. Two eight's, a Jack and Queen lay in front of the older man that acted as the dealer.

The complete freezing of the man before him told Matt all he needed to know as the dealer revealed the final card: a King.

As Matt expected, the man had a pair of seven's. The hand lost miserably to his own straight flush with the nine and ten he'd had.

"Matthew Atlas takes the pot." The dealer calmly spoke, fully expecting this outcome like all the others.

Matt winced as the crowd erupted into cheers, "Christ, it's Poker, not a friggin sport's cup." He grumbled, rubbing the tip of his pinky in an ear.

After all the usual ongoings with autographs, accepting a fake oversized check and all that jazz, the teen made his way through the empty halls of the building, eager to get back to the Guild.

Thankfully the back area of the building was basically empty, everyone having moved to the front.

The sound of clapping echoed through the stone halls as Matt adjusted his gaze to find the source. A man with long, silver hair in a red suit stood with a smile, only one of his brown eyes visible.

"Well done as usual Mr. Atlas. I'd expect no less than such a performance from the King." He praised the teen, his clapping coming to an end.

"Flattery is nice and all, but I'd appreciate a name first if you wanna talk like this." He shot back.

"Oh my! How rude of me, I do apologize. My name is Maxwell Vermillion." He slightly bowed.

Now that name caught a hint of his attention. "Aren't you the guy who owns Wonderland Incorporated?" Matt didn't really pay attention to the logos and such on the cards he used, but he started to once he saw the same one over and over again.

"Oh! Wonderful that you already know of me. Yes, I doubt I'd need to go into the nitty gritty of my company being one of the largest in the world of games and the like."

"And if my guess is right..." He ushered the man on, already having a feeling of why a CEO would contact a well-known player in this manner.

"Correct once again! Yes, I do have some interest in signing you." He nodded, "But first, I'd like to speak a bit first. Perhaps over dinner? I know quite the lavish place if you're intrested."

Matt gazed at the man, not sensing anything ulterior in his motives. True, he didn't say exactly when he'd be back to the guild. Then again he'd get lip due to it from the usual suspects.

"..." The King sighed, "Alright then, your treat though."

"Wonderful! Then please, follow me!" A smile arose on Maxwell's lips as he lead the teen out of the building.

A short car ride with armed guards later and the duo arrived in, as the man himself said, quite the lavish establishment. High class decor in primarily white and gold was littered all over the place. The teen mentally estimated this room itself was probably worth more than the average S-class job's payout was.

Both men took a table by a large window overlooking the city.

"So, you wanted to talk." Matt urged him forward as he glanced at the menu, his eyes widening a hint at the outrageous prices.

"Tell me Mr. Atlas, what made you even decide to compete in these sorts of things?" He calmly asked, like he'd had the question prepped ahead of time.

"If you mean recreationally: it's because I was a bored kid in a guild. If you mean professionally: I just wished to obtain some quick funds to help out some friends is all." He brushed aside the easy question.

"So you didn't partake due to any competitive spirit?" Maxwell asked before facing the approaching waiter. "Ah, some Sangiovese if you would." He smiled as the man quickly jotted down the order.

"Just Water." Matt answered the man before being asked, he walked off after a quick nod. "As for you: no, I wouldn't say I'm neccesarily the competitive type by nature. Sure the spark may exist if someone interesting enough comes along, but generally I just go with the flow for these things." He shrugged, glancing out the window at the setting sun.

"I see, moreso a man of the people than someone who works for their own ends." He nodded. "I must ask though, why do you continue to compete if you already accomplished your initial goal of participation?"

"I only compete when I get invited these days. Most the time I'm at my guild or out practicing magic." He scratched the back of his head. "Though I suppose I only accept since it could be interesting. Not like money is a big need these days."

The waiter returned with their drinks, Matt's simple water compared to Maxwell's red wine.

"Ah, grazie." He nodded to the man, his fingers lightly grasping the medium-sized bordeaux glass. "You certainly are rather different compared to most mages I've met." The man lightly chuckled as he took a sip of the wine, relishing in the delicate spice of the taste.

"Oh? And where might you hail from?" Matt raised a brow before swallowing over half the glass of ice water.

"Caelum: a country mostly populated by mages as I'm sure you're aware." Maxwell answered simply before setting the glass down, Matt not even seeing a visible difference in the volume. "The personality of a mage varies from country-to-country. Most Fioran mages for example, are quite welcoming and friendly. The closest comparison I could draw being the mages of Iceberg." The man chuckled at the memories of the general populace of that land blanketed in eternal winter.

"I get what you mean. Enca's mages are all business, same with Sin's and Caelum's." The teen nodded.

"Indeed. Our environment plays a significant part in our growth, nurture can only do so much to prevent nature from raising you after all." Maxwell nodded, taking a sniff of the wine as he lightly swirled it.

"Odd this is where you've taken the direction of this talk. Your company hasn't even signed a regular person, let alone a mage." Matt pointed out, eagar to get to the heart of it all and return home.

"Ah, so you knew a bit more than you let on." A slight smile arose on Maxwell's face. "Indeed, my company and I have been quite picky about the person we'd sign. Tell me, do you know the origin for the name of my company?"

"I dunno, maybe something from a book?" The teen shrugged honestly, the name Wonderland seeming familiar in some way, but not enough to make him doubt himself.

"You're half-right." The businessman nodded, "Wonderland Incorporated was named after two things: the book my daughter loved above all else, and her dream to make everyone happy when playing together." A nostalgic, yet bitter smile formed his expression.

"...Judging by that tense you used..."

"Yes, my beloved wife and daughter are no longer with us." The lonely man gazed out to the setting sun. "Besides the slave trade, Bosco was also once known for producing a truly beautiful and incredible crystal called Paradiso. The crystal held the ability to store vast amounts of Ethernano for millions of years. Due to this, the colors they produced were truly awe-inspiring. So when rumors of one resurfaced thirty years ago, my little girl begged and begged to go see it. Unfortunately, I was too preoccupied to accompany her, but my wife wasn't." The man took a significantly larger gulp of the alcohol. "The museum from which it was displayed in was burnt to the ground, no survivors."

Matt kept silent, allowing the man to speak on his own terms.

"I never believed the papers when they said it was a simple accident. I searched for the truth for years and years, eating all of my funds and personal possessions for just a sliver of the truth. The closest I ever got, were the reported sightings of men in black robes with a symbol resembling an eye on them. At the brink of losing absolutely everything, I had nothing left except the very book we read together. A simple book about the extraordinary adventures a young girl went on, and the friends she made along the way. Shortly after remembering the true value of it, I established Wonderland Incorporated."

"I see..." He kept his response short, sensing an imminent answer to his earlier question.

"You asked why we've never signed anyone? It's simple: why would I sign someone who doesn't have fun playing games? To the vast majority of professionals, it's all business and seriousness. Sure, competition is a must for a game to survive, but staring at people who don't even attempt to crack a smile is just dull. I'd want to sign someone that people can look up to as an individual that knows that you have to smile in these times. That you have to hold onto hope no matter how bleak things may appear. You may not see yourself as such, but that point is moot when I see the faces of everyone looking at you."

"I understand you might have your own thoughts and opinions on such matters, but rest assured: I have no intention of using this for anything malicious." The man clarified.

"...I can't give you an honest answer right now. In fact I'll be taking a break for the remainder of the year to focus on something else that's fast approaching."

"Oh don't be in any rush!" Maxwell eased the tension, "I myself will be quite preoccupied for the rest of the year too." He lighty chuckled. "How about we reconvene early next year to get your thoughts on this?"

"Yeah, that's for the best." Matt nodded.

"Excellent! Now then, we shouldn't be making that poor waiter stand there nervously forever. Let's say we eat?" He smiled at the teen.

"Sure."

* * *

Cana sighed in relief, enjoying her hair not being a complete mess thanks to her overly-doting father. That man was currently off on a job, Matt had to physically throw him outside the guild just so he'd stop asking the girl questions about her wellbeing.

"You know he means well though." Lisanna chuckled at the brunette.

"Yeah yeah, it's just a lot going from a passing glance to all-out affection like that." Cana sighed.

"Yeah, I can see that." The little sister nodded, stroking the sleeping head of a certain blue cat.

"What was that Hippo lips?!" Mirajane roared at the usual suspect.

"You heard me Hag Fingers!" Erza sneered at the punk.

"I'll kick your ass Lard Chest!"

"Just try it Thunder Thighs!"

"That's enough." And as usual, Matt smashed their heads together, thus ending the fight.

Once Summer had passed, both girls finally had the energy to spare for more brawls instead of melting.

"Sorry about that." Matt sat back down at the bar. "As you were saying."

Judeau smiled, "It's all good. I wanted to ask you, have you ever heard about the Tale of the Chosen Maiden?"

Matt raised a brow, searching his fuzzy memories. "Nope, can't say I have."

"I'm not surprised. It's a bit of an obscure legend." He chuckled. "Supposedly there's a young girl every thousand years chosen by the gods. This girl, as long as she remains pure, will be able to grant miracles the likes of which defy all common sense."

"Psh, yeah right." Matt rolled his eyes.

"It's a bit crazy, but that's not even the craziest part. Supposedly in order to accommodate the level of the miracle, five sacrifices of mages with a special brand are needed. Once they've passed, the wishes can be granted."

"So what, it's a blood ritual?"

Judeau chuckled, "Not quite. See the reason why people had to issue being branded, is because these miracles are powerful enough to even bring back the recently departed."

"Recently? Why not older?" The teen questioned.

"Supposedly it has to do with the nature of long passed souls. According to really old Pergrandian texts, the afterlife is a place that exists between all worlds and all walks of life. Once a soul has decided where it wishes to go, it's basically impossible to reach them."

"That's hard to buy even for me: a guy who literally summons dragons with a card wave." Matt rolled his eyes.

"Heh. Take it as you will, it is all just hearsay." Judeau shrugged.

The doors to the guild barged open as Laxus sighed and approached the request board, quickly grabbing the highest-level A-class job before turning in his old job while getting the new one accepted. Immediately afterwards, the teen rushed off.

"Geez, he's been like that for a while." Judeau blinked at the now open doors.

"..." Matt kept silent, knowing exactly why Laxus had been pushing himself so hard lately.

Instead of going for jobs, the teen had been hammering in his training. Granted, his new methodology would take considerable time to fully master if what Zeke told him was accurate.

"Hm? Well if I took into account your natural abilities and learning potential... hrm... five years!" Zeke nodded at the teen.

"That... sounds like a lot more than it actually is." Matt thought.

"Oh believe me, if it was anyone else, it'd take at least five times that. Trust me, I'm pretty good at gauging things like this."

The teen sighed at the memory from earlier in the year. As Judeau continued on about various things, a messenger arrived at the door.

"Matthew Atlas?" The man dressed similarly to a knight approached him.

"Oh? Not a frog this time, thank god." He sighed as he grabbed the letter from the man, sending a nod of acknowledgment his way as he left. An eyebrow perked up as he recognized the royal seal on the wax of the letter.

'Probably a birthday invitation or something. Not like I ever have the time to attend them these days.' He shrugged and opened it, his expression falling as he read. His eyes stayed locked upon reading a certain sentence whose gravity would weigh heavily on the entire country.

"Queen Fiore has died."

* * *

Matt walked down the streets of Crocus, the city having completely healed after his devastating fight a year ago.

What is commonly known as the Flower Blooming Capital, is now no more than pretty decoration as the city mourned. The grey sky added to the dreary tone as the teen headed for the Castle, the letter having summoned him.

Not a single person was outside today, hell, not even anyone had their windows open. Once could even compare this city to a recently abandoned ghost town without being far off.

Matt wasn't one to normally let atmosphere get to him, but even he couldn't help but feel even just a bit more melancholic.

"Uhm..." The faint whisper of a young girl caught Matt's ear.

He turned to find a young girl with black hair and in a dark-blue eastern-like dress.

"Could you... sign this my King." She muttered, her cheeks flushed as she held up a picture.

Matt should be rushing to the castle, he should be angry that this girl couldn't read the mood of everything... but he just couldn't bring himself to be upset.

"Sure." He nodded with a smile, crouching down to meet her at eye-level. As he grabbed a pen from his Requip space and held the photo in his hand, (a picture of his form after defeating Serena) he addressed her, "So who am I making this out to?"

"M-M-Minerva..." The embarrassed girl looked away.

"Minerva huh? That's a beautiful name you have." He warmly smiled and signed, the girl practically shooting steam from her ears.

"There ya go!" He handed it back to her.

"Th-Thank you so much!" Her eyes sparkled like gemstones.

Matt smiled and patted the girl's head, eliciting a massive blush from her.

"Welp," he stood up. "I better get going. You stay safe out there alright Minerva?"

"Y-Y-Yes my King!" The girl bowed deeply before running off, her giggles of joy bringing a smile to the teen's face. Something he definitely appreciated right now.

"Alright then, time to face the music." His gaze turned to the castle, his approach continuing.

The guards allowed him passage with a simple nod, already being informed of his attendance. Judging by the red, puffy eyes some of them sported, they were taking this hard too.

As Matt entered the main hall, he immediately recognized an old face.

"Arcadios." He greeted the Knight with a nod. "Good to see you again."

"Matthew, the feeling is mutual." He nodded, his smile quickly drifting away, as if it was unnatural to do. "Unfortunately our time to speak is rather limited right now. I'll take you to the his Majesty."

Matt nodded as Arcadios lead the duo through the halls of the castle. Despite the building being absolutely massive and filled the brim with art and such, it just felt... emptier. Like something was missing now. Something that brought the entire place together.

Arcadios knocked on a large door at the end of a hallway.

"Your Majesty, Matthew Atlas is here." He spoke to the man on the other side.

"O-Oh! Y-Yes! A moment please!" The clearly surprised man quickly hurried to do something before he opened the door. Based on his nearly bloodshot eyes and unkempt appearance, the teen could guess what he was doing before the knock. "Matthew my boy, so good to see you again." He attempted to sound more cheerful than he really was.

"Likewise King Fiore. I only wish our reunion could've been under... better circumstances."

"Yes... please, come inside." He gestured for Matt to enter, closing the door behind him. "Could I intrest you in some tea perhaps?"

"Ah, n-no, that's not necessary." The teen turned the drink down, not wanting to push the little man more than needed.

"I see." He hopped onto a chair adjacent from Matt. "You must be curious, about why I called you here now of all times."

"I won't pretend the answer isn't half obvious."

A small chortle came from the man, "Indeed... I'll be blunt: this has been far harder than I ever imagined." The King's expression dropped. "My father's passing wasn't anything unexpected, neither was my mother's. There'd been many years of expectancy and preparation for that inevitability. But this...? This was all... so sudden." He leaned back into the seat. "My wife had been quite sickly around the time of the tournament. We'd initially assumed it to be a sort of flu or allergy. However, it only progressed to become worse and worse. Every day I saw more and more color drain from her beautiful face. I was utterly helpless. No doctor could find out what she was even ill with. I searched and searched for any semblance of hope, until they told me such a thing was gone. She'd die and there's nothing I could do... there's nothing I could've done. All this power and ability as King, and I couldn't even save one woman." A bitter laugh came from the man. "It's rather ironic, isn't it? Power is ultimately worthless in the face of something like fate or destiny... isn't it...?"

"...Don't know, I don't believe in fate or destiny." Matt honestly spoke.

"Heh. No, no you aren't that kind of person are you."

"King Fiore, not to be rude, but you didn't summon me here for you to vent, did you?" Matt cut to the chase, he knew the King was made of tough stuff and would eventually bounce back.

"Just as sharp as I remember. No, I didn't call you here to release my grief. This isn't my first dance with it as King. However, it is the first time my daughter has..." His expression dropped. "Poor girl can't even process the idea of it. The idea that her mother is gone and won't ever come back. She won't ever be lulled to sleep by a lullaby again. She won't ever get to see her beautiful smile again. She won't ever... she... won't." Bitter tears welled up in Toma's eyes.

Matt's face remained stoic as he looked on, allowing the man to move at his own pace.

"Look at me, I'm in no condition to be a king, let alone a father. I know this is a selfish and rather lazy request of me, but I don't know who else to turn to that she could open up with. Neither Arcadios or I could vaguely succeed." The king hopped from the seat and got to his knees, his forehead pressing against the floor. "Please, please help my daughter!"

Matt stared at the man, in complete shock at what was even happening. He quickly composed himself, "Please don't lower yourself to that level King Fiore." He stood and approached the door. "Don't beat yourself up over this, you're only human after all. Nothing even remotely wrong with that." A small smile plastered Matt's face as he looked at the King before exiting the room.

* * *

Matt stood outside the door to one Hisui Fiore's room, the young Princess of this castle. A deep breath was succeeded by a loud exhale as he didn't even know what he was getting himself into. Sure he had experience in this field before, but that didn't make it any easier. How the hell was anyone meant to comfort a child of all people when they loose a parent? Kids don't naturally have that emotional maturity to understand loss.

A hand slowly rose up in a loose fist, about to knock and initiate the forthcoming discussion. However, a choice in the matter wasn't given to the teen as the door suddenly opened rather fiercely.

"Mommy?!" The young princess' smile quickly faded into one of surprise as she saw not her mother, but the boy who'd earned her affections as a sort of sibling. "O-Oh! Big Brother! I didn't think you'd be here..." Her voice trailed off before she quickly shook her head. "Well come in! There's so much I wanna talk to you about!"

The teen didn't even voice a protest as the girl quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, shutting the door afterwards.

He didn't complain when he was sat in a far too small pink plastic chair at a pink plastic table with a large stuffed rabbit on one side and a large stuffed bear on the other.

He didn't complain when the girl gave him a matching pink plastic saucer and cup with no actual tea.

"Hisui, I-"

"Oh! I better get the biscuits! Mr. Bunbun gets grumpy when he doesn't have those with tea." She giggled and grabbed an empty plate, putting it on the table.

"Hisui, we-"

"Oh silly me, I forgot the milk and sugar. Mr. Tedd can't even start without two cubes of sugar and a teaspoon of milk." The girl jokingly berated herself before getting more empty containers for the table.

"Okay then. Hisui, there's-"

"Oh! Silly me, I can't forget the-"

"Hisui!" The teen raised his voice, stopping the girl in her tracks. He slowly placed the plastic utensils down onto the table. "Are you okay?" His eyes were laced with concern as he looked at her.

"O-Okay? Of course I'm fine Big Brother."

"Hisui, your mother is dea-"

"NO!" She yelled at the teen. "No... she's just... sleeping. Mama is finally getting some good sleep again. Mama has been really tired lately, she almost never left her room with Papa. But that was fine. We still had tea parties all the same. I'm... happy that Mama is finally getting to sleep well again..."

Matt slowly stood up and approached her, taking a knee in front of her.

"It's okay to cry. No one would see you any differently."

"No...! I'm... I'm a big girl now! I'm the Princess of Fiore...! Pr-Princess' don't cry." Her small hands trembled as she clenched them.

"Maybe they do. Maybe they don't." The teen admitted. "But right here? Right now? You aren't Princess Hisui E. Fiore." He opened up his arms with a small smile on his lips. "You're just Hisui: my cute little sister."

The small green-haired girl looked at the older boy in shock before she bit her lower lip. Tears welled in her eyes and snot began to leak down her nose as a part of her desperately tried to cling on to her title.

That side lost.

The girl wailed into the chest of Matt, her arms not even touching as she clung to him.

"Shhh shhh. It's alright now." He softly spoke as he slowly stroked her head with the arm not holding her small frame.

"Bi-Big Brother?" The girl spoke between sniffles.

"What is it?"

"Why do people leave?"

Matt's eyes shot open, as if he'd been stabbed in the heart. For some reason, that question felt like something a part of him desperately wanted to answer: but couldn't.

The boy just held her tightly as her cries continued until she fell asleep in his embrace.

As he tucked her into her sheets, both stuffed animals with her of course, Matt couldn't help but linger on that question. Why did it hurt to think about? Why did his heart ache at the mention of abandonment?

A bitter sigh left from the teen as he exited the room, gently closing the door behind himself.

"How is the young Princess?" Arcadios asked as he approached.

"She's doing about as well as any kid who lost a parent would be." He admitted.

"I see. I suppose expecting anything else would've been foolish." Arcadios chuckled.

A knight quickly approached the man.

"Sir, we have reports of strange activity in the nearby woods of the city."

"Tch. Now of all times." The captain sneered.

"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it." Matt offered.

"No. We can't ask that of you." Arcadios shook his head.

"Look." Matt sighed. "What this family needs now more than ever is safety and security. You and I both know how unpredictable things can get around here. It's safer if I manage it so you have every man available here."

Arcadios grumbled, but had to admit the teen's argument was sound.

"Very well. Solider, do we knew where these disturbances are coming from?"

The man looked away awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Well uh..."

"Out with it!" Arcadios barked.

"I-It's coming from the... former base of... Wicker Maaaan..." He winced and turned away from Matt.

"Oh... goodie."

* * *

Toyo Hakumen walked through a rather dense forest bordering the coastline of Enca. Cicadas cried throughout the dense forest as the armored mage made his way to one spot in particular. As the treeline lost its density, the subsequent light vastly intensified when he exited out to a cliffside.

The man gazed at a much older woman, bordering on her 70's, sat in front of a grave. A beautiful pink Yukata was snugly wrapped around her body. Her white hair was tied into a neat bun.

"Oh? Is that you Toyo-kun?" She smiled as the man took a seat next to her.

"It's good to see your health is as strong as ever Kamisori-san." He bowed his head to the woman.

"Oh you know me, age won't keep this old lady down." She placed a hand on her flexed bicep with a smile.

"I suppose so." The man smiled beneath the helmet, returning his gaze to the memorial. "It's been over 10 years now hasn't it?"

"Yes... it's still hard to believe my hardass of a husband is gone." A bitter laugh escaped her.

Despite being a memorial, both of these individuals knew this was no more than a mere empty grave. The body that belonged here was stolen long ago. The culprit remains a mystery, as not even the full power of Enca's information network, the very best in the world, could find anything.

The wife and student prayed side-by-side together, wishing the spirit of the man they both missed dearly eternal peace.

"We should get going Kamisori-san." The man recommend, standing up.

"Toyo-kun, I thought I told you to call me Miyako from now on." The old lady pouted.

"I'm afraid I can't comply with that request. The wife of my master deserves equal respect."

"Hmph. Damn right I deserve respect for making that man scream in the sheets." She nodded before standing.

"Let's... let's just get going." The man grumbled, pretending he didn't hear that.

Both student and wife walked away from the grave. Inscribed upon it were as follows.

Here lies Kenshin Kamisori: husband, proud samurai and the final Nakagami.

* * *

The King of Games wandered through the unfamiliar forest, having only traveled up and down the current pathway unconscious. Never in a million years did he think he'd ever come back here of all places.

A sharp scowl formed his brow as Matt walked up the hill towards his destination. The unfamiliar outside of the wooden bar filled his vision as he finally arrived.

Matt stared at the structure time had not been kind to. Part of his had been burnt to smithereens, another part was beginning to rot from lack of management, and the rest was in clear disarray from the rampage Dark Magician went on.

The teen slowly exhaled and walked into the familiar inside of the building. His gaze wandered and fell upon the spot where he truly thought he'd die. He could still see the scars in the wood from where he clawed away from the former living being he'd reduced to nothing.

"Geez, hell of a gloomy face ya got there kid." A voice spoke from above.

Immediately Matt drew Kusanagi, fully prepared for a fight as he shot his gaze up to the balcony of the second floor where the voice came from.

"Who's there?!"

"Man, you don't recognize me by voice alone? I'm hurt kid, but I suppose seeing my greatness twice can leave a bit of a blind spot in the memory." The figure spoke as he stepped out from the shadows.

Matt's eyes widened in shock as he saw the familiar figure. "Moneky?!"

The former contracted spirit to Sarutobi grinned, "Been a long time hasn't it?"

"How the hell are you even here?" Matt dropped his guard, taking a more normal stance.

The spirit dropped to the first floor, "Remember kid: nature spirit. I go wherever the hell I want." Monkey took a seat at a nearby bar stool.

"That's right, his magic was about summoning nature spirits. Actually, what the hell are nature spirits even?"

"As the name suggests: we're spirits formed by natural Ethernano in nature. We don't really have a purpose or reason for existin', we just do." He shrugged.

"I see." Matt shook his head. "Wait, so were you the one making that ruckus that spooked the guards?"

"Bingo." He nodded, "I saw you were in town and wanted to talk a bit."

"You saw I was in town? I mean I guess I was one of like... six people out today, but that's still impressive."

"Not physically saw," he waved his hand side-to-side. "I felt you. Well, your magic power to be more accurate. No way in hell any spirit couldn't tell you were coming from a ten mile radius with that kinda oomph."

"Uuuuh-huuuuh." Matt slowly nodded, just rolling with it. "Anyways, what did you wanna talk about? I don't exactly have anything interesting to discuss right now." The mage being taught by the Black Wizard spoke.

"It's about something I saw you looking at on the boat. Never got the chance to discuss it with ya back then."

"On the boat...? Wait, you were there too?!"

"Well duh. A Nature Spirit Summoner can either call their spirits from anywhere in the world, or keep them nearby. I just went invisible while there." He shrugged.

"Ah, I see." He nodded before freezing. "Wait. If you were invisible on a ship with girls then..." A judgemental gaze befell the monkey.

"Ease off kid, I'm not _that _bad." A cheshire smile arose on his face, "Though I can tell ya who that Ultear chick thinks of during her alone time. I'll give ya a hint: his name has two t's to represent the level of hammering she wants from his d-"

A table was flung right at the face of the spirit who easily dodged it by going intangible.

"You're even worse than that deadbeat, perverted S-class bastard!" He spat out as somewhere Gildarts keeled over in pain of betrayal.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" The spirit howled with laughter, his feet kicking in the air as he clutched his stomach. He wiped tears from his eyes, "Goddamn kid, you're a riot!"

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up ya sick freak." Matt grumbled, his arms crossed tightly.

"Whew!" After one last laugh, the spirit got back on track. "In all seriousness: this is about that book of yours."

"My runes?"

"No, no, the other one. The one with that language from those obnoxious flying bastards." He clarified.

Matt drew the book in question from his Requip space, "This one right?"

"Yeah, toss it here." The monkey caught the cluster of binded papers with his tail. One read of the title made the monkey smile nostalgically. "As I thought: Marco Eriksson."

"The author? What's he got to do with this?"

"He was Sarutobi's predecessor. The previous Nature Spirit Magic user." Monkey explained.

Matt blinked a couple of times. "Wait. That book is over 300 years old."

"Heh, ya ever wonder why my kind ain't so documented kid? It's because we can only reveal ourselves to humans once we've already been contracted before. Otherwise ya get crap like this: a language ya hear that sounds like drunk, concussed gibberish."

"Well that does accurately describe whatever the hell is written there." Matt admitted.

"We nature spirits are essentially Ethernano given life, so our language is just what the primordial world spoke millenia ago. The first user of this magic didn't roll around until I was just a twerp 5000 years ago. Even then, I can count the total users on both hands and have some fingers left." He placed the book on the counter. "Though even then, we weren't really around in bulk until about 400 years ago."

"What's that got to do with it?"

"We Nature Spirits are formed by excess Ethernano in the leylines. 400 years ago, there wasn't a whole lot of it in the ground to begin with. That is until _that_ war."

"War? You mean the one with humans and dragons?"

The spirit did a double take at hearing that, "How the hell do you know about that? Most history books completely skip over that part, if not outright delete it."

"I talk with a guy who knows a lot of things, leave it at that." He spoke firmly, ending that discussion. "Still, that does explain why your kind exists only in the realm of hearsay." Matt nodded.

"Tell ya what kid. I'll make a deal with you." The Monkey gazed at Matt. "You come out here, say, once a year or so. We'll sit down, have a nice chat, all that good stuff. In return: I'll translate that book into something you can read."

"I mean, does that book even have any real value? I kinda just grabbed it on a whim." The Fairy Tail mage admitted.

"Heh. As annoying as those flying rats are, they've got some nasty tricks up their sleeve I'm sure someone like you'll find useful." He begrudgingly admitted.

"..." Matt shrugged, "Sure, why the hell not."

"Alright then." He nodded in satisfaction.

"I should be heading back anyways, keep the book for now if you're gonna translate it." Matt turned to leave.

"Hey kid." He called out.

Matt looked over his shoulder at the spirit.

"You wanna meet one?"

Matt remained silent at the question. Pondering if he should accept the offer or not. Normally, he'd be all over the idea of meeting a new, never-before-seen species. But this time...

"... Nah. What's the fun in going on an adventure when you can skip right to the end of it?" He grinned before walking off.

"Heh. Guess you got a point there." The monkey nodded before swatting away something in the air, an irritated expression on his face. "Buzz off ya annoying pests!"

* * *

Deep within the forests of Bosco lay a hidden tavern, a place where the scum of the magic world gather. Bounty Hunters, Assassins, Black Market Dealers, you name 'em, they stop by in the sole place where a sort of eternal parlay exists this side of Pergrande.

Bosco was chosen as the perfect country for this place as the country itself is ripe with corruption. From the major religious institution to the king on high, no one had any "clean" hands here.

A group of four people draped in black robes with an eye on the back approached the building from a distance.

"Are you sure this is the right way, your sense of direction is pretty awful Kyrok." A figure with a more feminine voice spoke.

"Shut it, I read the map this time." Kyrok growled at the woman, his deep voice silenced by the trees.

"The last time you said that we almost ended up running into Caelum's Silver Knight Unit." The third person spoke, much younger than the others.

"..." While the fourth figure remained silent whilst approaching, the snot bubble expanding and retracting from his nose told everyone he was a severe sleepwalker.

"We're here." Kyrok stopped the group as they stood outside the building.

It was quite simple in design, one might even use the word homely. These people had no need for some black and skull aesthetic when every day they saw the real deal painted red or sold off to some swine of an official.

The words Widow's Hearth were carved into the sign above the door, lit by light lacrima.

Inside was a typical day amongst the dark mages: piano ragtime, dancing and alcohol. Everyone was dressed in typical gruff garb: leather pouches, hooded cloaks, ammunition belts, weapon holsters, black clothing, etc.

The only one who stood out was a rather quaint-looking gentleman in a black suit with a briefcase, enjoying a cup of black coffee by a window seat. A small smile on his face as his contemporaries danced and danced, spilling their alcohol all over the floor without care.

Just as the music was getting good, it got cut off when a knife impaled itself into the well-managed maple. With a sour look, everyone turned to face the earlier four figures.

"My companions and I are looking for a seller by the codename Mocca." Kyrok spoke to the crowd.

"I don't know if you were born yesterday or're just retarded, but we don't do business here. Take it elsewhere." The bartender spoke up.

"I assure you, this is more than simple "business"." He threatened, "If you value the continued strength of your profession: speak up."

Immediately every patron drew a gun, sword, or readied a spell. Fully intending to take this to the morgue if need be.

"Obituary report it is." Kyrok smiled.

A hail of arrows, spells and gunfire shot out at the four, only for large mirrors to suddenly appear in front of the group. The onslaught disappeared within the glass, immediately causing the group to cease fire.

"Quite the attack you've given me," the youngest voice spoke. "Allow me to return your kindness."

From the mirrors, the onslaught returned, now focused on its creators. Countless scoundrels were shot, pierced or incinerated by the attacks. Despite this, the melee group charged in, making sure to avoid the mirrors.

As a blade went to pierce the woman of the group, its cold edge stopped mere millimeters from her head. The man gripping the blade grunted and struggled to move his body, unable to even scream in pain as he felt himself be stabbed by what felt like hundreds of needles.

"Out of the way!" A spear user spoke up as he went to follow up, only to be cleaved in two by the man's blade.

"Mere puppets should never challenge their puppeteer." The woman moved her fingers, causing the man to begin attacks at a much higher skill level than he'd ever achieved in life.

As this happened, some tried to attack the still sleeping member of this party. Those attempts only left them as hanging corpses on the wall, their forms pierced by what looked like an invisible attack.

"Bastards!" One man with a knife managed to stab clean through the hand of Kyrok, his confidence melting into horror as instead of red blood coming from the wound, a pink, tar-like fluid seeped out.

"Blood Devil's Apothecary." He calmly spoke as the pink blood shot from the wound, drilling countless holes into his opponents head.

After the massacre, the only one left alive was the aforementioned coffee drinker. He trembled on the floor as Kyrok lifted the briefcase, a smile of pure ecstasy on his lips as he grabbed the crystal within.

"It'll take thousands more to reawaken our god, but even a small step is a step forward on our pilgrimage."

"You do realize every independent dark mage on the continent will not forgive this right?" The man weakly spoke as Kyrok's foot stamped on his ribs.

"Let them come. Our lord shall judge their souls." This was all he spoke before ending Mocca's life, another to add to the mountain the Four Swords have created on their path to enlightenment.

* * *

"Do you have to leave now?" Hisui cried out to Matt. The teen knelt down and rested a hand on her head.

"Sorry Hisui, but I have other things to attend to. Besides, you'll see me again soon."

The girl's face lit up, "Does that mean?!"

"Yes yes, I'll make sure to come out for your birthday this year."

The girl went to hug him, but stopped. A stern look on her face as she silently held out her pinky.

A chortle came from Matt, "Alright then." He held out his own pinky, the two interlocking as they shook hands, sealing the deal.

Once this was over, then the girl hugged him tightly, completely over the moon about the prospect. They broke apart as he stood and faced the king.

"Thank you for inviting me out here King Fiore." He bowed.

"No no my boy, I should be thanking you. Don't be a stranger now." He smiled at the boy.

Matt and Arcadios shared and nod and grin as the boy walked off to the impatient black dragon waiting for him.

"Goodbye big brother! I love you!" Hisui waved.

The teen gave a lazy wave while facing away from them, hopping onto the dragon and flying off.

Red-Eyes gave a lazy growl to the teen as they exited the city limits.

"Huh? Crying? Why the hell would I-" Matt cut himself off as he felt the unfamiliar wetness on his cheeks. His hand shot up as he stared at his wet palm, utter confusion lacing his features.

"What the hell... is wrong with me?"

* * *

The Guild Master of Fairy Tail sighed as he once again glanced at the finalized list for the upcoming S-Class Trials, the first in nearly fifteen years. Makarov was understandably nervous about the whole ordeal. He hadn't actually set one of these up in close to twenty-five years. This was also not counting the fact that the most promising young men in the guild were up for the title, one of them being his flesh and blood grandson.

Laxus is an incredibly promising youth, he'd definitely inherited that ol' Dreyar stubbornness as Master Precht had called it. At seventeen years of age, he'd be one of the youngest contenders for the title in the guild's near-century of history.

Matt on the other hand was nothing short of an enigma. A boy from another world who'd both been thrown into situations and gotten himself involved in many that frankly should've killed him, but they didn't. He was a natural survivor whose future potential rested in the stars.

Picking everyone after these two was rather difficult. The old man felt bad about throwing them in since he knew they'd most likely play second fiddle to the youths. However it was a neccessary thing to foster an environment of growth for everyone.

All that was left, was to officially announce it in the morning. A sigh passed through Makarov's lips, turning into a fog as December officially rolled in. He shivered slightly, knowing it was about time for him to head home.

The old man opened his office door and entered the main hall, spotting the young teen finishing up cleaning up after his guild members.

"Still at it?" Makarov chimed in as he walked down the stairs.

"They were particularly crazy today. Thankfully with that new wood magic girl making tables and chairs for us, that's one expense with no more concern." Matt wiped his brow, finishing up mopping the wooden floor. A duty he personally handled due to the longterm delicacy it required, last thing they needed were the damn floorboards getting moldy.

"That's good to know, means we can have more money for other thin-"

"If you finish that sentence with "expensive alcohol", I will personally make sure your chair always has thumbtacks stuck to it at all times." The teen threatened.

"Hmph. Party pooper." The old man pouted.

"Don't give me that crap! You're the one complaining to me about Natsu's property damage expenses!" Let it be known that a hyper kid with fire powers plus a flying cat will always equal mayhem in the streets. Especially when said kid has a penchant for breaking walls thanks to a certain perverse S-class' influence.

Both men sighed in defeat, knowing the financial stability in the guild was now firmly pushing up daisies... which were then incinerated, frozen, cut up and then zapped with lightning.

"Well, I better get going. See you tomorrow." Makarov waved a goodbye to Matt as he stepped out.

"Rest well Master." Matt nodded as he dumped the dirty water out the window.

The teen yawned as he put away the cleaning equipment, closing the door with the arm not scratching his ass.

"...t..." A faint, nearly whisper of a voice called.

"Hm? You forget something mas...ter?" The teen turned to the door and found no one standing there.

A duo of slowly blinks lead the teen to shake his head, "Must be the cold messing with me." The teen opted to sleep, writing off the odd occurence.

* * *

He awoke the next day to loud chatter filling the hall.

"What's going on?" He asked the familiar bluenette.

"Master said he had an important announcement to make today, called in everyone for it." Macao explained.

'Could this be the trials?' He threw his sight up to the railing where Master approached with Gildarts.

"I didn't even know he was back." Matt muttered as Makarov cleared his voice, getting the room to quiet down.

"A good afternoon to you all. Many of you might be wondering why I've made such a sudden call for everyone to gather. One or two of you might even now exactly what this is for. Many of you know of the annual traditions this guild partakes in: the Harvest Festival, which some of you don't partake in."

Matt felt Makarov's eyes bore holes into him, the teen pouting and looking away. He already had enough publicity damnit!

"The Blossom-Viewing Festival. Which some of you _also _don't partake in."

Veins started to bulge on Matt's forehead, his left eye twitching constantly.

'Don'tfistfightatinyoldmandon'tfistfightatinyoldmandon'tfistfightatinyoldmando-' He repeated in his head over and over.

"However, there used to be another annual tradition of the guild: the S-Class trials. A test to see who from my personally selected candidates is ready to step up onto this second floor and take the next path in their journey as a mage!"

Immediate chatter arose around the guild, Gildarts smirking at the sight.

"Quiet down now!" Makarov took back control of the room. "I've selected the following candidates based on their job records, natural abilities, and overall potential for the guild." The old man cleared his throat first.

"Macao Conbolt!"

"Eh?! M-Me?! W-Well I certainly didn't expect this." The adult sheepishly laughed.

"Wakaba Mine!"

"Only natural for me to make it in if Macao did." The smoker grinned.

"Reedus Jonah!"

"M-Moi?!" The artist spoke in complete disbelief.

"Wan Chanzi!"

"..." The man remained as stoic as ever, but mentally the sounds one would recall of dial-up raged through his synapses.

"Laxus Dreyar!"

"Hmph. About damn time." The teen kept his eyes closed and his back to the wall.

"And finally: Matthew Atlas!"

"Does this mean there's gonna be two days worth of cumulative mess I'll have to clean up?" The teen panicked.

"Well it's only natural those two would make it."

"I feel bad for the others, they probably just got picked to fill up the roster."

These were the general thoughts going around the guild at the time, not many were disappointed at failing the selection. They didn't relish the idea of facing two of the strongest people in the guild for a title.

"I didn't get picked..." Natsu deflated on the table.

"Don't worry Natsu, there's always next year!" Lisanna tried to cheer the boy up.

"Psht! Yeah right! Only one person is gonna win, so you either get Laxus or Matt as an opponent next year. No way could ash brain over there beat either of them in a year!" Gray laughed at the notion.

"What was that fruity pop?!" Natsu growled at him.

"You heard me cinder spit!"

"That's it!"

Natsu and Gray, once again, initiated their usual antics.

"Sheesh, those two just don't know when to stop. At least Erza knows when to-" Cana turned to find the redhead sulking in the corner. "Er...za?"

"How could the gap be so big..." A dark cloud loomed over her head.

"There's always next year Erza." Kagura awkwardly laughed.

"Next year... that's right!" The redhead stood confidently, a fire in her eyes. "I will not rest until I qualify for next year!" Erza sprinted out of the hall.

"I'm with ya!" Natsu followed shortly after, a doppler effect "Aye!" followed after.

"Huh, I guess she did break it up in a weird way..." Cana blinked before shrugging, a shiver going up her spine as she felt the familiar overbearing gaze of her father.

"Looks like Erza is really into the idea of this whole S-class thing." Elfman spoke, petting his sixth parakeet. "I'm surprised you're being so calm Big Si...s." The boy trembled as a fierce aura surrounded his sister.

"_Wan _was more qualified... than me...?" Her fingers dug into the wood, splintering it as the digits sunk in. "This will not stand!!!" She charged out the door, running off to train.

"Hmm. Maybe if I can reach S-class, Big Brother will let me drink from the bar." Brandish speculated.

"You do realize he'd still say no right?" Levy exasperated.

The green-haired girl was too lost in her own imagination to respond to the young girl's words.

Makarov observed the reactions of the children of the guild with a small smile, it seems as though there won't be a concern about genuine competition for these trails in a few years.

"Now then!" The old man spoke up, "The trials shall begin in two weeks! All contestants are to meet in Hargeon where we'll sail to the site of the trials: Tenrou Island!"

The crowd remained silent for a while, until one brave soul spoke up.

"...What's that?"

Makarov nearly fell off the railing at that comment.

* * *

"S-class trials?" Zeke tilted his head at Matt.

"Yeah, we'll be hosting them here. Shouldn't take more than an afternoon for em' though."

"That's not good though!" The young man protested, "You know very well what'll happen if one of them makes contact with me!"

"Calm down." Matt urged him, "I already figured out how to make sure you don't get involved." He pulled out a roughly drawn map of the island, pointing towards the northern coast. "Over here is where the rockiest cliffs are, but it's also where all the sea caves are located."

"I see. You wanna cover up the entrance to one and have me hide in there."

"Got it in one." He nodded, "I assume since you can feel magic power, you can just tell when all of us are gone."

"Right." Zeke slowly nodded, not seeing any real downsides to this plan. "Out of curiosity, what sort of trial is this anyways?"

Matt shrugged, "I honestly have no idea. Master keeps this kind of stuff pretty close to the chest, even from me. Doubt it'll be anything extreme though, for all I know it could just be a weird game of Go Fish."

The young man stifled a chuckle, "Well I suppose you've secured the victory in that scenario." Zeke earned a laugh from Matt with that. "Regardless, I'll follow what you have planned. Besides, if worse comes to pass, I can just take a short swim."

"Uh, I wouldn't reccomend that." Matt advised.

"Hm? Why not?"

"You don't pay much attention to the ocean do you?" Matt asked.

"Not particularly, why?"

Instead of using his words, the teen pointed over to where a large fish was visible. A Fioran Silverfin, a common type of large fish native to the warmer waters. It made quite a delicious soup when handled properly.

"Okay, it's a fish. What about it?"

"Three. Two. One."

A massive figure leap from the depths of the warm ocean, swallowing the man-sized fish whole. Well over the height of a ship in the air was a colossal shark: the Fioran Swordtooth Shark. The name comes from its old ancestors said to be five times the current size of this crop, their teeth cleaving apart galleons like a blade to flesh. With their poor eyesight, they utilize the silhouettes from the sun to target prey.

"Those things'll eat just about anything around your size. Too stupid to tell the difference between a fish and a human, and too hungry to care about the difference in taste." After his battle with Samehada, the teen decided to brush up on his marine biology for things that could swallow him whole. All this did was drive him to never visit the northern seas of Earthland where Kraken-sized beasts were the norm.

Zeke dryly swallowed before nodding, "I'll improvise in that case then."

"Yeah you do that."

* * *

And thus, two weeks came and passed faster than anyone had realized. The six mages gathered on the docks of Hargeon, beside the ship that would take them to where the next step in their magical journeys lay in wait.

"This is it Wakaba, the big leagues." Macao gulped.

"Don't worry about it. I mean I'm still gonna kick your ass, but that's something to worry about later." The chain smoker chuckled, Macao breaking into am argument with him.

"I really don't get why I'm here..." Reddus sighed, scratching the back of his head.

Wan constantly ran through the items in his backpack, making sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Though Matt did find the fog treats and squeaky toys... odd.

Laxus impatiently waited a ways away from the group, tapping his foot to the ground with his eyes closed.

Matt gave a sideways glance of mixed emotion to Laxus before gazing at the small old man standing on the railing.

"It looks like you're all here, good." Makarov nodded, his eyes closed. "As I'm sure you're all aware, this trial is designed to test your abilities to see if you are worthy of the title of S-Class." The old man's eyes shot open, a fierce fire in them. "So don't go into this expecting a lick of mercy. The future jobs you go on won't give it to you, your future opponents certainly won't spare the option a thought. So I'll give you one last chance: if you don't think you're cut out for this, then go back to the guild. No one will think any less of you for it."

All six mages stared on towards the man, a mix of anxiousness and adamant desire within them. No one turned back despite the warning.

"Very well then." Makarov grinned, "Then hop aboard and face your destiny."

**Welcome back once again my lovely readers.**

**Once again I want to apologize for the delays in this and ABW, a lot of bad timing happened between my birthday, my brothers, personal matters, etc etc. It was pretty difficult to get back into the swing of writing for a bit, so if the quality of this chapter is kinda all over the place: I apologize.**

**So. We had a lot happen this time around. Primarily this chapter was set up for details and the like down the line. We're at a point now where I'm gonna be diverting bits of the chapters that don't fully focus on Matt to showing the ongoings that will matter down the line.**

**Maxwell is the Pegasus expy I mentioned earlier in the story. He won't play a huge role mind you, but I wanted to introduce him now just so we're all familiar with him and maybe so his backstory hints at some things to come.**

**And down another of my OCs goes, Queen Fiore's death was something that shouldn't have been unexpected honestly. Especially considering we don't even get a mention of her in the manga or anime. We also get to see a much younger Minerva have a small appearance here for the reasons of: why not?**

**We meet up with Toyo again as he visits the grave of a character I'm sure many of you are interested in hearing about, especially since I'm throwing the Nakagami name into the mix. This'll get expanded upon later anyways, so I won't go into any real detail for now.**

**Monkey once again makes an appearance as we get more information on Nature Spirits. There's still more room for expansion with them, but they're also a convenient method for me to introduce other species of creature into the story. Also yes, that Fairy book does have relevance for Matt's magical development. Just gotta wait and see.**

**We meet up with a group I'm definitely sure won't be major antagonists anytime soon. Yup. Definitely not. No way José.**

**The S-class trials are upon us, much faster than most of you were probably expecting eh? Don't worry about it, I have a plan. Just trust me on this okay?**

**Next week: the aforementioned trials, which should be fun. It'll be a much lighter chapter in tone than this one, I promise.**

**ABW should have a new chapter this week if you do care. I'll be trying something a bit different with my writing style for that particular chapter.**

**In case anyone was curious, anything from the upcoming game I can use in this story: I will. If I can't: then I won't.**

**In case you care: I have the options and poll up on my bio for the 4th story vote. I apologize for the obscene number of parentheses in that link, this website needs to git gud.**

**And yes I am rambling a lot because I have extreme post-chapter release anxiety, especially after a month of nothing... I'll stop now and post the damn chapter.**

**With all of that said and done, I bid you all adieu.**


	31. Tenrou Woes

**Hello there wonderful readers, time for the usual stuff before we get the show on the road!**

**AnimeMyWorld:** I genuinely don't know what you're referring to. I've never had a pairing on the character list. Perhaps you confused this story with another one?

**DarkMaster10000000: **Okay, I'mma be a bit blunt here. Do _not_ expect the god cards until after the 7 year time-skip. They're WAY too OP to be around until any point before then. I get all the excitement surrounding them, but I need to establish some sense of scaling with the cards. We are gonna get more summon variety well before then, so please just have some patience.

**Abdur Rauf Aymaan: **My release schedule has unfortunately started to follow George R.R. Martin's recently, but I do hope to fix that. As for the sage mode stuff, no. Nature Spirits were primarily introduced to give more species variety to the world of FT which doesn't have a lot in the first place. As for the Phoenix thing, I dunno. Never really considered something like that since I'll have more focus on God and Devil Slayers in this story.

**Okay then, with all that done, please enjoy!**

"H-Hey Reedus, can't you make some ice cubes or _something_?" Wakaba panted as he fanned himself with his hands vigorously, his wrists becoming sore.

Instead of wasting his energy on words, the painter simply used his magic to create a large pile of the commodity whose value surpassed even diamonds right now. Unfortunately, as soon as the chilled water touched the deck of the ship, they immediately melted into lukewarm water before evaporating in mere seconds.

Wakaba slouched his head in utter defeat at that.

"Heh, what's the matter pal? Can't take the heat." Macao grinned.

"Don't give me that crap! Your face is redder than a tomato!" Wakaba belted as Macao sweated enough to fill a bathtub.

Poor Wan would've complained if he wasn't hanging off the edge of the boat, both spewing his guts overboard and losing all his water weight from the heat.

"Tch. Old guys need to pipe down." Laxus scoffed as he could feel how drenched he himself was due to the heat. This was on top of having to fight against the dreaded motion sickness he was feeling. "More importantly, how the hell is _he_ managing this?" The blonde scowled at the casually relaxing Matt, reading a book as he sat in a chair.

Matt was quite thankful he still had leftover painkillers from Porlyusica to quell his headaches on trips like these.

"Hey Macao, wanna go for another round of Poker?" The teen teased.

"Bite me!"

"Don't listen to him kid, that's his wife's job." Wakaba couldn't resist the temptation to mess with his friend.

"Guh! How the hell do you know that?!" The fire mage cried in shock.

"How the hell could I not know? You do a piss poor job of hiding those hickey's man." Wakaba sighed.

"Awfully bold of you two to mention this stuff around a teen." Matt joked.

""YOU HANG OUT WITH GILDARTS!"" The duo bit back.

"...Fair enough." He conceded, returning to his book.

These made up the dynamics of the group until the island in question was in sight. The ship dropped anchor a ways away from the island as Makarov stood on the railing, overlooking the group.

"Tenrou Island: the place where your future lies in wait. Now, allow me to explain how this trial shall go. This trial will be broken up into three sections. The first will require you to find one four hidden maps all around the island, all of them are the same, so only one is needed. However, since there are only four maps available, I'm sure you all understand what this entails."

A silent nod came from the gathered six mages, urging Makarov to continue.

"The second should be quite obvious: on those maps is a certain location on the island. All you need to do is simply reach it. Finally, you must acquire the item in question. However, don't expect the process of getting to it to be easy."

Some of the group dryly swallowed at that implication, noticing the lack of a certain S-class anywhere on the boat.

"As for the rules, it's quite simple. Your only rule: do not kill any of your guild mates. You may fight, you may work together until the end, anything goes so long as you adhere to that rule. Now, are there any questions?" The old man asked the audience.

Matt raised a hand after noticing no one else ask anything.

"Yes?"

"When do the trials start?"

"Whenever you wish for them to."

"I see. Then, I have something to say to everyone here." The tone of his voice made even Laxus listen with intent. "I want you all to know, that no matter what, you guys will always be..."

The five blinked when the teen suddenly disappeared from sight. Only then did they realize, he'd already jumped off the boat.

"SSSSSUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKEEEEERRRRRSSSSS!!!" Matt gloated as the rune-infused leap sent him hurdling towards the island easily.

"""...EEEEEEHHHHHH?!?!""" The collective group cried in shock as they realized he'd played them like fiddles.

"Tch. I won't let you get away that easily!" Laxus scowled and chased after the teen, liberated of that floating hellhole.

"O-Oi! Wakaba! Make a smoke boat for us or something!" Macao barked at his friend.

"Are you crazy?! How the hell am I gonna do that?! Smoke ain't buoyant dumbass!"

Reedus simply made a small boat for himself as he sailed off towards the island, quite pleased he was in third right now.

"Oh to hell with this!" Macao dove over the edge of the ship, opting to swim.

"Wait up!" Wakaba followed him shortly after.

Makarov sighed before a grin crept up on his wrinkled features.

"Go my children, seize your futures." The old man proudly spoke before looking down. "Wan, would you like some help onto the island?"

"Yes please Master..." The seasick mage politely asked.

* * *

Matt's feet buried themselves into the sand, kicking up a cloud of the fine earth. The mage hacked and waved his hands around, trying to clear the air.

"Ptooie!" He spat, "Stuck the landing, made a mess of the aftershow."

His eye caught the lightning form of Laxus flying into the trees.

"Sheesh. He's not wasting any time." Matt sighed. "Now then. If I were a map placed by a perverted Master, where would I be...?" The teen decided to walk in a random direction for now.

Reedus' ship finally hit the shore after a few minutes of brief, but quite nice sailing. The vessel dispersed as the magic was removed. Reedus had to stop himself from immediately sitting down and sketching the breath-taking view of the ocean from here. His resolve steeled, he too marched into the unknown.

Macao and Wakaba immediately fell to the wet sand, huffing and puffing as they recovered from that swim.

"Next time... we bring... a boat." Macao barely got out.

"Bold of you... to think... we get a "next time"." The chainsmoker started to regret his habit.

"Aw shut up..."

* * *

"Where is it?" Laxus quickly scanned around, looking for any indication of where his grandfather may have hid a map.

The blonde had an advantage over the other competitors... well, _competitor _if he was being more honest. Makarov loved to play things like hide and seek when he was a brat. All he had to do was remember the kinds of places Makarov liked to put hidden things.

He slowly made his way closer to the center of the isle, keeping an eye out for anything odd.

'C'mon Laxus, think! You know the old man better than anyone else here... you have to.' He shook his head, ending that train of thought before a glint of sunlight caught his eye.

A smirk arose on the teens face as he spotted a rolled-up map in some kind of nest, the metalic-looking seal reflecting the light just right to be noticed.

"Gotcha." The blonde leapt up to the large branch, carefully stepping over to the nest that was even bigger than him. "Come to- hey!" Just as his hand reached for the paper, a large bird swooped in and grabbed it, flying off.

"Get back here you flying rat!" He growled, immediately giving chase across the treetops. 'I will not loose! I refuse to let this slip between my fingers! Especially not to him of all people!' The blonde's frustration rose as the bird led him to a coastline where a flock of its friends awaited.

"Bring it on!" Lightning crackled off his body as the mage readied himself for a fight.

"He's being reckless, even by normal standards." Matt commented as he sat atop a branch, gazing through some binoculars.

"Kuri?" The flying furball returned to the teen.

"Why huh...?"

Laxus, Matt and Reedus had been the first to arrive at the designated meeting spot ahead of the other half of the group. The trio sat around on the docks in the meantime, biding their time with something.

"I'm using the restroom." Laxus lazily spoke before walking off.

"I see, so he gets the nervous pees eh?" Matt chuckled to himself as he continued to read his rune book. "Hey Reedus, do you know if Master is already here?" He asked.

"..." Reedus diligently worked on his current sketch of the ocean, his mind blocking out all sounds and distractions.

"Heh, looks like he's too invested in that right now. Oh well, I can wait." The teen's face awkwardly shifted as he felt the familiar call. "But nature never does."

Matt closed the book and stood up from his crate of a sitting spot. A yawn and stretch escaped from him as he walked over to the restrooms. He was surprised how isolated the docks were today, then again it was holiday season. Most imports from the south and north slow down pretty drastically due to freezing weather.

As the mage went to enter the restroom, he heard a familiar voice.

"You have to win damnit!" Laxus' fist met the wall, cracking the tile.

Matt stopped in his tracks, hiding by the entrance.

"You have to prove you aren't just a shadow! You have to prove to them all you aren't second-rate! You have to show them that you're strong! That you're Laxus and not just a grandson!"

Laxus' hands bled as his fingernails dug into the soft flesh.

"You have to win! This is your last shot!"

Matt kept silent as he walked off, heading back to the docks.

"Nothing that really matters for you..." He spoke to Kuriboh. "Anyways, did you find what I asked for?"

"Kuri!" It happily nodded.

"Alright then, let's get going." Matt hopped off.

* * *

Macao and Wakaba had opted to work together for now, figuring their odds of getting two maps was better together.

"Let's try this way." Wakaba pointed to some nearby rocks.

"Why? I doubt he'd anything in plain sight." Macao questioned the logic.

"Just trust me alright, I got a good feeling about it." Wakaba eased his friend's worries as they approached the rocks.

"Hold it right there!" A voice spoke up out of sight, causing the two to freeze and hide.

"Does that sound like someone we know?" Macao questioned.

"Who the hell are you? This island is Fairy Tail property!" The smoker belted.

"Ya I knew it was you. I could smell ya getting off the boat!" Both men slowly went to sniff their pits awkwardly. "You was here last night too, wasn't ya?"

"Wh-What?!" Wakaba cried.

"I knew it! That hunch was way too accurate for you!" Macao accused his friend.

"You was here... and you were smoochin' with Makarov weren't ya?!"

Wakaba's jaw hit the floor, "Like hell I was! I like women! Especially ones that aren't anchient ya freak!"

"Don't gimmie that! You been smoochin' with everybody! Gildarts, Reedus, Jura, Serena with the gimped pride, Arcadios, Toma, Warrod, Macao."

Both men did a collective spit-take at that.

""WE'RE DATING WOMEN YA FREAK!""

"Wait! You're seeing someone?!" Macao reeled back in shock.

"Uh..." The smoker froze, realizing he'd given that away.

"All right, I believe you."

"Damn straight you do-"

"But my Tommy Gun don't!"

""HE'S PACKING HEAT?!"" Both men scrambled for cover.

"Get down on your knees and tell me ya love me." The voice demanded.

"Is he serious?!" Wakaba grumbled.

"Just do it! These rocks are _not_ good cover!"

Both men reluctantly fell to their knees.

""I... love you..."" They shivered in disgust.

"Ya gotta do better than that!"

""I LOVE YOU!"" Both men felt like vomiting.

"Maybe I'm off my rocker, but I believe ya. That's why I'm gonna let ya go. I'm gonna give you to the count of three to ger your lousy, lyin', low-down, four-flushin' carcass out my territory! 1... 2..."

The earth itself rumbled as the attack hammered the duo, the voice cackling in glee as it let loose. Macao and Wakaba scrambling off, away from the madness.

"3!" The attack stopped. "Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal." Once more the attack continued before abruptly stopping. "And a Happy New Year."

Shortly afterwards, a Cubina Gamal stepped out, reaching for some low-hanging leaves to snack on. A dull expression on its face.

"Hold it right there!" It spoke to no one.

"What the hell was that?!" The blue-haired mage panted, leaning against a tree.

"How am I supposed to know?!" Wakaba replied, really not enjoying all the exercise they were doing.

* * *

Matt approached the cave his flying companion pointed out to him.

"Huh, sure enough." He spotted the paper atop a mound. The teen squinted before he finally recognized said mound. "Ah, it's you."

The mound shook and turned around, revealing a mouth with lots of sharp teeth and a pair of angry eyes.

"Lazy Name." He jokingly growled.

The carnivore let out a loud roar, causing Matt's face to scrunch up in disgust.

"Criminy! That could peel the paint off walls." He coughed at the disgusting smell. "I don't have time for this." Matt pulled out a pair of cards. "Contact Fusion."

From behind him, the large form of Grand Neos appeared, its massive drill arm ready.

"You know what to do." He spoke to the monster who nodded, diving underground.

The Rollidillo snarled at Matt before freezing, only understanding what had happened when it was stuck in a pitfall trap. It attempted to wiggle its way out, only to realize a foothold at this angle was impossible.

Matt casually walked up atop the beast and grabbed the paper.

"Thank you poorly named sir... or madam. Can't really tell from here." He shrugged before opening the paper, still standing nonchalantly on something that desperately wanted him dead. "Let's see here..."

* * *

Reedus sprinted for dear life as a herd of Hodras' chased after him, the massive pigs stampeded in hot pursuit.

"Pict Magic: Magma Wave!" The artist quickly threw together the image of magma on his exposed arm, the molten liquid shooting out to the sandy floor.

His effort produced success as the herd stopped in its tracks, Reedus smirked before quickly readying his follow-up.

"Pict Magic: Avian Rush!" From the same arm shot a flock of Fioran Sawtooth's, nasty birds in the northern parts of the country. The razor-sharp teeth within their beaks shredded apart small prey, even sometimes allowing a group to kill far larger animals.

With his opponents firmly neutralized, Reedus rushed ahead furthur. The mage's expression perked up as he saw a map atop some ruins, tied to a pillar via a string.

A triumphant smile on his face combined with tunnel vision disallowed Reedus to dodge the foot smashing his head into the ground. The blonde teen disregard Reedus the second he was incapacitated.

"I shouldn't be wasting time on small fry like you, but I can't take any chances against that bastard pulling something." Laxus scowled as he walked over to the map, setting it ablaze. "Old man said the only rule was no killing. Didn't say a thing about taking out the competition in another way."

His job done, Laxus quickly shot back into the forest.

* * *

Wan slowly walked around the large forest of the island, completely unaware of what to expect.

The odd sounds of an animal caught his ear as he saw a rather cute squirrel look down at him.

"Aw. Well aren't you cute." He squatted down and pulled out a small baggie of nuts from his pocket, offering one to the small critter.

Quickly, the Squirrel made its way to the ground. Oddly it held its hands out like a person would, but the mage disregarded this.

The animal grabbed the nut and quickly took a bite. Almost immediately after it began to spit out the food and furiously rub its tongue.

"Oh right, those nuts are spicy." Wan chuckled, "Sorry about that... little... guy...?"

Wan dryly swallowed at the glare given to him by the creature. The Squirrel proceeded to let out a wolf whistle, causing a small army of the creatures to appear around the mage.

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh. Parley?" He offered nervously.

With a dry expression, the Squirrel snapped its fingers, causing a horde of the critters to attack.

Wan's screams were silenced by the overwhelming power of chipmunk. Their buck teeth biting into him.

He swore to take this experience to his grave without telling a soul.

* * *

Macao and Wakaba panted for air like their lungs were about to leap out of their mouths. Between the two of them: a single map.

"What the hell... kind of sadist is Master?!" The fire mage barely got out.

"I dunno... takes a special kind of messed up to put a map in a place surrounded by pissed off... Dosco... Doaca... Doci... THE BIG FUCKING DINOSAURS...!!" Wakaba roared, already frustrated enough as-is.

After a moment, the duo had finally settled down.

"Now then..." Macao gazed at the map.

"Yeah..." Wakaba replied slowly.

A silence enveloped the two as they pondered their options. Surely Matt and Laxus already had maps by now, that much was obvious. Now the question remained: do they risk wasting time to get another map? Or do they fight for the one they have...?

Wakaba's expression was unreadable as he gazed at the paper, a ticket to surefire stardom and success.

Macao also housed an unidentifiable face as he pondered just how much this map really weighed.

""Take it."" The friends spoke simultaneously.

""W-What?!""

""WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT DUMBASS?!""

""STOP COPYING ME!!""

Macao broke the endless loop first, "You need it a hell of a lot more than me! I already got my own kind of future alright?"

"Me?! You're the one with a damn kid coming literally any minute right now! You got a family to take care of! These jobs'll pay for practically anything!" Wakaba quickly shot back.

"I don't need some dumb title to take home damnit!" Macao bit his lip, the memories of the days leading up to this all flooding back.

The fire mage stepped into the small, but quaint home.

"Enno, I'm home!" He spoke up as he stepped into the living room, bags of takeout in-hand. Ever since the pregnancy had gotten to this point, Macao absolutely forbade his wife from any strenuous activity. Already knowing how exhausting giving birth is after seeing some of his other family members be born.

"Welcome home." The dancer smiled, her swollen belly being gently caressed by her hands. Her smile soon faded as she gazed into Macao's guilty expression. "What's wrong? Did something happen at the guild?" The woman genuinely missed being able to visit Fairy Tail, but master had forced a maternity leave on her.

"Yeah... you could say that." He set the bags down on a table with a sigh. Macao took a seat on the couch next to his wife. "Master announced that the S-class trials were coming back."

"And let me guess, you didn't get picked." The woman teased innocently, figuring his mood to disappointment.

"...No."

"...Eh?"

"I got picked. Wakaba, Reedus, Wan, Laxus, Matt and I all got selected to participate. We'd leave for Tenrou in two weeks." Macao spoke grimly.

"That's... that's amazing!" The dancer stood and hugged her husband. "Oh I'm so proud of you Macao! All your hard work is finally paying off!" A wide smile beamed on her face, but quickly drifted away as her husband wasn't so enthusiastic. "Macao...? What's wrong?"

"...I...I'm gonna reject the offer." He spat out.

"B-But why?! This is the opportunity you always wanted! You could really show everyone that hard work pays off!" Enno protested, adamant in her views.

"I know!" He shouted, "But..." Macao gazed at his baby... _their_ baby. "They're due anytime now. For all we know you could go into labor the second I leave!" The mage bit his lip in frustration. "I wanna be there to see my child... our child be born. I can't just abandon you during such an important moment to fulfill some pipe dream."

Enno closely looked at her husband before using her hands to force eye contact.

"Macao Euro Conbolt, when the opportunity arrives for anyone to claim their happiness, to fulfill their dreams, no matter the scale, they should take it without apology."

"B-But-"

"No buts! I don't care if you aren't there for when our child is born. Our child won't either... mostly because they won't remember." The woman joked a bit. "All that matters, is that you walk through that door the next time a man who knows he tried his best. Win or lose, we will both still love you just the same."

"Enno..." Macao was completely taken aback by the woman's encouragement.

"So do us both proud, and never give up on your dreams!"

Macao's lip quivered, tears rolling down his face and snot leaking from his nose. He quickly shot an arm up to wipe away the warm water before facing his wife again.

"YEAH!!"

"You damn idiot! That's exactly why you should take the map! You have a family to make proud! I ain't got shit!" Wakaba growled.

"Bullshit! You're gonna be married and have a kid someday too dumbass! This title is a surefire way to guarantee that kid'll have a good future!"

"And what makes you think that'll make me happy?! I'm perfectly happy with how things are right now asshole!"

"Well I am too jackass!"

The duo glared into each others eyes for a seemingly boundless eternity... until.

"Pft..."

"Keh..."

""Hahahahaha!!!"" Both men burst out into laughter, clutching their sides as tears rolled down their cheeks.

It took a moment, but finally the men settled.

"So..." Macao started.

"The hell are we gonna do with this...?" Wakaba pondered.

Before the thought could continue, an unbelievably powerful magic aura was felt by them.

"That feeling..." The fire mage dryly swallowed.

"No mistaking it, even if we only felt it once before..." Wakaba's hand slightly shook.

In a moment of clarity, both men gazed into the others eyes, a smirk rising on their faces.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Macao rolled his shoulder.

"Damn right I am." Wakaba lit a new cigarette.

Wordlessly, the duo rushed off to the feeling, leaving the map behind on the ground.

From up above, a small blonde girl smiled at the sight before fading away.

* * *

Matt scowled as he slowly approached the location on the map, well, the back entrance that is.

His eyes slowly rose up with his head, gazing at the truly magnificent Tenrou Tree. Easily the height of a mountain, this tree was most likely the source of all the odd feelings Matt got from the island.

A slow exhale got the teen focused as he rushed to the hole that'd lead him into the next area.

"Well well, looks like my gut was right." A voice spoke, emerging from the entrance. "I figured you'd try and be sneaky about this, going in the route not on the map."

"That voice... heh, just my rotten luck." A bitter smile angled itself on Matt's lips.

"I've been itching for a round 2 ya know? I could feel how much stronger you've gotten since we last went at it." Gildarts emerged from the shadows, an anticipatory look on his face.

"Great... just what I needed."

"Laxus'll be here before too long. I'd give him a solid three or four minutes til' be gets here." Gildarts cracked his knuckles.

"So I gotta get past you before then is what you're saying. Whose side are you on anyways?"

"I'm on the side of making sure you got what it takes. S-class is nothing to take lightly ya know. Comes with a lot of invisible responsibility."

"Heh. Are you saying I need those lessons more than _Laxus _of all people?"

"Makarov can drill those into him, but there are some things only I can teach you brats." The mage extended an arm. "So come on," his magic power flared up massively. "Show me what you got."

Matt's eyes scanned around the area. 'No caves to trap him in below... I could try using my magic to restrain him... no, he'd break through that effortlessly right now. I could try that... no. Even being as familiar as I am with his magic, I'm still way too inexperienced to try something at that level. He'd blow through any monsters I summon before I could get past him, and I can't waste too much energy since the next phase is a complete mystery... Then, my only option...'

"Is to blow right through me, correct?" Gildarts grinned, already guessing Matt's mental gymnastics.

"Tch. Got no choice then." He summoned Kusanagi to his right hand, the left grasping the handle.

"Come at me with everything you have!" Gildarts proclaimed as Matt's foot dug itself into the ground, his sole lighting up to prepare a massive leap.

"Hold it a minute!"

"Yeah, settle down you two!"

Both combatants looked behind Matt, the pair in shock as Macao and Wakaba approached.

"You two...? Heh, didn't think you'd make it so far." Gildarts admitted, impressed by them.

"Don't patronize us old man." Macao shot back.

"O-Old man..." Gildarts reeled back.

"Get going kid, we'll deal with this guy." Wakaba exhaled some smoke.

"Are you guys suddenly suicidal? You wouldn't last a minute!" Matt spoke the obvious truth.

"You saying you can't run past his ass in a minute?" Macao popped his knuckles.

Matt's eyes slowly widened, realizing what they're doing.

"...Thank you." Matt nodded, placing his blade back into his Requip Space.

The teen made a mad dash towards Gildarts, leaping above him.

"Now hold on there-" Gildarts raised his arm to catch Matt's ankle.

"Purple Whip!"

A whip of violet flame snared the man's wrist, yanking it down.

"Smoke Boomerang!"

From Wakaba's mouth, a torrent of smoke whipped through the air, colliding with Gildarts' ankle.

With the force of two men, and having to awkwardly shift his body to try and grab Matt, the mage plummeted to the floor. The middle-aged dad rolled down the massive roots of the tree and landed on the ground.

"Etetete. You two are awfully determined today." Gildarts chuckled, dusting himself off as he stood.

"We both realized something earlier." Macao took a fighting stance.

"We're getting too old to hang around with that kid's generation. Unfortunately, looks like we missed the train to that future." Wakaba widened his legs.

"But ya know what? Now that that old train is gone, we got a pretty nice view of what's all around us."

"Bout' time we stepped aside and made sure the people who'll actually board that thing can get there at all."

"That's where our pride as Fairy Tail members lie."

"And that's more than enough for a couple of old fools like us."

Gildarts stared at the two in shock momentarily before he bursted into laughter, a razor-sharp smile on his face.

"Well I'd certainly look bad if I didn't accept that kind of feeling," the older mage took a stance. "And returned it in kind! Come on!"

""HAAAAAAA!!!""

The duo charged into the unwinnable battle without a single regret, stupid grins on their faces.

* * *

Laxus quickly entered the tree, the path closing right behind him.

"Does that mean only one person can get in...? No, the old man wouldn't rig it like that."

Even after taking out another map, that still left two for others to use. Which means this section was at least guaranteed for four people.

"If it's closed off, then that means... shit!"

The blonde quickly rushed inside to find himself above a massive underground area. Colossal, building-sized roots mixed with the earth to form the walls, floor and ceiling of the cavern. He quickly saw Matt on the opposite end of the room, having arrived just before him.

"Welcome you two!" Makarov's voice boomed from above, his form standing atop a root between the young mages. "This is the final test to determine who is worthy to become an S-class wizard." His hand gestured below. "Down there you'll see your objective: the Remembrance Mirror. A magic item that allows the user to gaze into a past memory if they look into it."

Sure enough, the silver mirror was sat atop a pedestal in the middle of the room.

"All you must do is simply retrieve it. However..." Makarov snapped his fingers, the earth all around the rook shot up, stopping just shy of hitting the ceiling.

"You'll have to navigate this maze first. Be warned, there are some nasty surprises within." That's all the Master said before allowing the boys to continue with the final obstacle.

"Tch, a maze?" Laxus clicked his tongue. "Whatever. I'll just rush through it!" The blonde took his lightning form, zigging and zagging around the sharp angled turns of the maze.

"Heh. This is nothi-" The teen slammed head-first into a wall that suddenly appeared, the maze having shifted. Laxus rubbed his head, a frustrated glare meeting stone. "Crafty old bastard."

In comparison, Matt slowly crept through the area.

'There must be some trick to this. Master isn't the type to do anything of this scale unevenly.'

The distant sounds of shifting caught his ear. Matt scowled as he noticed a path behind him that wasn't there before.

'The maze changes? Is this in relation to progress, or a tool to make us think the true path changed? Unless I could see the maze from an aerial view, that'd be impossible to tell-' Matt stopped his train of thought, realizing something. 'I don't need to see... I need to feel.'

He approached the wall in front of him, his eyes tilting upwards as he observed the monolithic scale.

"Your magic already operates on the principle of copying what you already know and making it solid. This typically consists of turning magical power into psudeo-physical matter like iron or wood." Zeke spoke to the teen. "However, there's a far more useful application that even the original creator of this magic never got around to testing. This isn't even mentioning the fact he never even got to try out the idea of pure magical power weaponry."

"Okay, you have me on the edge of my seat." Matt rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, I just haven't gotten to do something like this in a while." Zeke scratched the back of his head, an embarrassed flush to his his cheeks. "Regardless, the path is quite simple: what if you could read and copy the very flow of magic itself?"

"...Okay, now I know you're fucking with me." Matt admitted.

"I assure you, I'm being very serious." Zeke shook his head. "Magic is alive. Magic is all of us. It exists in everything and everyone. Each person's own magic feels different doesn't it? The feeling I get from you is... unique to say the least."

"Yeah, I know all of that. But you're saying I'd copy that person's very magic power. That's just straight-up impossible."

"When did I say you'd be copying a person's magic power? You should be rather familiar with the fact that every magic has it's own unique methodology and curriculum. It's own unique heartbeat." Zeke clarified.

"But I can already do very basic forms of other magic with runes."

"Correct: basic magic limited to the available runes. Runes are a very versatile a powerful tool, but they have hard limits. They're only as strong as the magic power channeled to write it, they don't draw directly from the user unless carved into the flesh in some manner, they can only remain stable with a set amount of magic, vastly limiting the power they could use, and you're limited to an alphabet. With this method: you could theoretically perform a wide array of basic abilities runes could never hope to cover. You could create attacks that defy all logic and ensure your ability to fight at full power. But most importantly, if you could read the heartbeat of magic, you may even be able to replicate the feats only achieved by a specific class of warrior."

"Okay, you have my attention with that. What do you mean?" Matt perked up.

Zeke grinned, "The feat one must perform besides defeating the current holder in single combat to achieve the title of the ultimate warrior Nakagami: magic cancellation."

Matt's hand pressed against the stone, he closed his eyes and dulled his senses. He felt for it: the heartbeat of the magic in this spell. Matt knew for a fact he couldn't cancel this; that was a level of ability that'd take a kind of set-up and learning Matt just isn't capable of right now.

The teen focused, forging the native sense of feeling magic power into something else: a tool. The ability to read the heartbeat, the flow of one's magic was not a simple task. That feat alone took months of work, meditating in absolute silence. Even then, it still takes time to perform.

Around the teen, the world faded away. Darkness enveloped him as he pressed and pressed. Thought dissipated, feeling released its grip on Matt's soul.

**Badum**

He found it.

Matt opened his eyes, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Gotcha."

* * *

Laxus had adopted the strategy of trying out every route, but slowing just before turns or forks in the path. So far he'd eliminated virtually every option, stubbornly finding the correct path.

Fortunately, there's only so many fake roads and dead ends one can use while keeping it fair.

The blonde skidded to a halt as he gazed down a corridor, at the end: the mirror.

"Looks like its my win." He grinned.

"Yup! Thanks for the moral support buddy!" Matt patted his shoulder as he darted past Laxus.

"...H-Hey!" Makarov's grandson immediately gave chase.

Both of their heads turned around when they saw the very earth itself come after them, Matt barely avoiding a raised rock meant to trip him. Laxus was forced to his legs as the ceiling began to lower, stopping his lightning form.

"This won't stop me old man!" Laxus growled as he pushed his legs to the limit, barely keeping up with Matt.

In his desperate attempt to pull ahead, Laxus' ankle was ensnared by the ground. His chin collided with the floor, blood seeping from the wound.

Matt stopped as Laxus desperately tried to break free, his magic nowhere near focused enough in this state to overpower Makarov's.

The King looked back-and-forth between the mirror and Laxus. A firm gaze formed along his brow.

"Move!"

Laxus barely had time to comply before he barely saw the sword in Matt's right arm. It was quite simplistic, but unlike any sword Laxus had ever seen. A shining, light purple weapon that appeared to weigh even less than a feather. However, the dark edge that fluctuated in lighter and darker purple glowed so strongly, Laxus knew that nothing he'd ever seen, or ever would see, could come close to that kind of sharpness.

The blade severed the tendril, not the cleanest cut, but a cut nonetheless.

"Get up!" Matt shoved the teen to his feet, both of them rushing forward to their goal.

All around them, the maze collapsed as all the stops were pulled by Makarov.

Only one of them would make it.

Adrenaline raced through both teens to such a level that all rational thought went out the door. Practical methods to make victory easier were tossed aside as the silver mirror was all they saw.

Closer and closer.

The smell of the metal was caught by Laxus.

Matt saw his own reflection in the glass.

Both teens leapt forward, their hands reaching out to grasp the mirror: their future.

A bright light blinded Makarov. The the old man stepped back, rubbing his eyes in pain. Once they had adjusted after a moment, he gazed downwards.

"I see..."

* * *

Macao and Wakaba rested against a tree, bloody, bruised all over, and completely spent.

Gildarts sat nearby along with Reedus, who was sporting a splitting headache, and Wan, who didn't answer anyone's inquiries as to why he was covered in scratches and bites.

The path to the cavern opened up, all five men perked up as Makarov stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"The winner of the S-class trials this year..."

Matt walked forward to one side of the old man. Laxus took the other, blood dripping down his face and neck.

Makarov's arm shot out behind him towards the victor.

Matt stepped forward, tossing the mirror in one hand as he walked past Makarov.

"Laxus Dreyar!"

**Well... I bet at least _one_ of you didn't see that coming.**

**Welcome back my lovely readers to another chapter of Where's the Schedule?!**

**This chapter was kinda odd to write. Originally I planned to split the trials into 2 chapters, but it moreso became a chapter and a half if anything.**

**My eage-eyed readers certainly noticed some odd discrepancies between Makarov's announcement and the actual ending of the trials, guess you'll have to wait and find out why the hell Laxus got a big boo-boo on his head... No actually do anticipate the next chapter it will genuinely have some crazy shit in it.**

**So the trials themselves were quite simple. They didn't need to be complex and over-the-top for this. Writing some fun interactions between the mages and animals was enjoyable, poor Wan being the butt monkey of this series.**

**So I tried something a bit different with some flashbacks here. Kinda iffy about whether it worked or not for all the cases of it here, but it is what it is and I wanted some more practice with them.**

**I can see some people already getting to type about the complete cock-tease of Matt vs. Gildarts 2. Well don't worry, it _will _happen... eventually.**

**So. Matt's next step with his magic. I don't think I did the best job painting the image I intend it to be, magica jargon and theory is genuinely a pain to write with most of the time. It'll be much easier to comprehend when we actually get more fights and more of it gets shown off, one good case coming pretty soon. The biggest thing we'll see of it for now is weaponry made of pure magical power. Matt's ability with them is still rough for now, that edge at mastery would be practically black and sharper than obsidian, but he's still working on it.**

**As for the whole Nakagami thing... wait for the next arc. I'd put a winky face here but I dunno how to do that without being really awkward as a 22 year-old man typing that.**

**I also totally didn't almost miss a typo where Wan would've offered a bag of nut to that small animal. Me here at the King of Games writing room does not condone the sexual abuse of animals... ya sick freaks.**

**As I mentioned, the next chapter is gonna have some shit man. A very familiar face will appear that I'm pretty sure most of you wouldn't expect in a million years. And we'll finally get a closer look as to just what the hell is really going on with Matt ever since he met Zeref.**

**Until next time, I bid you all adieu.**


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